FRANKLIN, Mass. – January 30, 2024 – The Dean College men's basketball team was defeated by the University of Saint Joseph (USJ), 108-77, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) game Tuesday evening.
The Bulldogs (6-15, 2-8 GNAC) resume action on Feb. 7 with a 7 p.m. road game at Mitchell. USJ (16-4, 9-0 GNAC) returns home on Saturday to host Albertus Magnus at 3 p.m.
Senior
AJ Weston (Kansas City, Mo.) had 19 points to pace the Bulldogs. Senior
Charles Walker (Princeton, N.C.) and sophomore
Moussa Berete (Richmond, Va.) added 13 points apiece. Senior
Jayden Madise (Palmdale, Calif.) finished with nine points and a game-high 14 rebounds. Junior
Paris Smith (Chicago, Ill.) was the fourth Bulldog in double figures with 12 points.
USJ senior Tyree Mitchell (East Hartford, Conn.) scored a game best 42 points on 13-of-19 shooting from the floor, 5-of-8 from beyond the arc and 11-of-13 from the free throw line. Sophomore Lence Altenor (Everett, Mass.) was the only other Blue Jay in double figures with 14 points. Senior Jalen Samuels (Franklin, Mass.) recorded eight points, 11 rebounds, four assists and a couple of blocks.
The Blue Jays used the long ball to build a lead in the first half. USJ went 7-of-18 from beyond the arc, while Dean made three three-pointers. Senior Chaylyn Martin (Hartford, Conn.) opened the game with a trey for the visitors and the led the rest of the way. Dean cut into the deficit at 31-26, after a Weston jumper with 9:01 left, before a pair of USJ layups pushed the advantage back to nine. The Blue Jays took their largest lead of the first with 3:21 left, after a Mitchell layup made the score 42-31. USJ took a 48-38 lead into the break. Mitchell had 17 points to lead USJ, while Weston and Smith had 11 and 10 points, respectively, for Dean.
USJ put 60 points on the board in the second half thanks to efficient shooting. The Blue Jays made 60% from the floor, 70% from beyond the arc and converted 11-of-13 free throws. Dean also shot the ball well, going 15-of-32 from the field and 60% from beyond the arc. Mitchell poured in 25 points in the frame to propel USJ to the victory. Berete scored 12 of his 13 points in the second for Dean.
