FRANKLIN, Mass. – February 18, 2023 – The Dean College men's basketball team dropped its season finale to Regis College, 77-70, in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) action Saturday.
Dean ends its season at 14-11 overall and 9-9 in conference play. Regis improves to 14-11 overall and 10-8 in the GNAC to secure a spot in the conference tournament.
Prior to the game, seniors
Mark Blair (Rosedale, N.Y.) and
Jagan Daughters (College Station, Texas) were honored for their years of hard work and dedication to Dean College and the men's basketball program.
Dean junior
AJ Weston (Kansas City, Mo.) led all players with 25 points. Junior
Malik Spearman (St. Paul, Minn.) came away with his fifth straight double-double and 10th of the season. He recorded 19 points and 16 rebounds to go with five assists. Junior
Charles Walker (Princeton, N.C.) added 10 points off the bench.
Regis had four players in double figures with first-year Jamir Harvey (Robbins, Ill.) leading the way with 15 points on 7-11 shooting. Russell Rau (Fitchburg, Mass.) posted a double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds, while Devante Thompson (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) was close with 13 points and nine rebounds. Senior Cameron Wilkins (Taunton, Mass.) chipped in with 10 points off the bench.
The first several minutes of action was back-and-forth with five ties and four lead changes. After the contest was tied at 15-15, Regis went on a 16-4 run over the next 5+ minutes. Each team scored four points in the final 2:40 of the first half to send the Pride to halftime with a 35-23 lead. Dean, playing without two of their starters, shot 25.8%, while Regis was 43.8% from the floor. Regis also had a 29-18 edge on the glass and scored 22 points in the paint.
Regis' lead ballooned to 16 early in the second keeping the Bulldogs in a double digit hole for the first 15 minutes of the half. Dean then battled back to eventually cut the deficit to three after a pair of Weston free throws with 1:25 left to play. The Pride went 8-for-8 from the free throw line in the final 30 seconds to secure the 77-70 victory.
