NEW LONDON, Conn. – February 7, 2024 – Dean College senior AJ Weston (Kansas City, Mo.) made a pair of free throws with four seconds left in double overtime to lift the Bulldogs to a 104-102 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) victory at Mitchell Wednesday night.

The Bulldogs (7-15, 3-8 GNAC) hosts Rivier on Saturday at 3 p.m. Mitchell (7-15, 4-7 GNAC) plays at Saint Joseph's (ME) on Saturday at 3 p.m.

Weston finished with a career-high 37 points. He went 12-of-18 from the floor, 5-of-6 from beyond the arc and 8-of-9 from the free throw line. Senior Jayden Madise (Palmdale, Calif.) posted his sixth double-double of the season with 18 points and 16 rebounds. Senior Charles Walker (Princeton, N.C.) added 15 points and nine boards, while junior Harlan Nichols (Las Vegas, Nev.) came away with a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds. Sophomore Moussa Berete (Richmond, Va.) rounded out the five Bulldogs in double figures with 10 points.

Mitchell had four players in double figures. Jaylyn Clardy and Wilton Causey each scored 25 points. Dontae Pollard finished with 24 points and 11 rebounds, while Elijah Miller also had a double-double with 18 points and 12 caroms.

Mitchell took an early 7-point lead five minutes into the game. Dean bounced back to cut the lead to one after a Madise layup to make the score 17-16. The Mariners went in front 32-24 before the Bulldogs went on a 7-2 run, with five points from Weston, to pull within a possession. Mitchell continued to hold the lead for the entire half until Weston made four baskets down the stretch, including a trey with 32 seconds remaining, to give Dean its first lead and a 48-47 advantage at the break.

Both teams shot better than 50% in the half. Dean led thanks to making seven three-pointers, while Mitchell made just one. Weston had 20 points to lead all players in the first 20 minutes.

The home team opened the second half with a 6-0 spurt. For the duration of the half, the teams went back-and-forth with 11 ties and 10 lead changes with neither side creating much separation. The game was tied 82-82 with 1:09 left to play when Causey made a free throw to give Mitchell the lead. Charles Walker scored on the ensuing possession to give Dean an 84-83 advantage. The Bulldogs led 87-85 with 10 seconds remaining but Clardy drove to the hoop and made a layup to knot the score with a second to play and send the game to overtime.  

The Mariners opened the extra period with a 5-0 run. Dean answered with a Walker jumper and a Berete three-pointer to tie the game at 92-92. Trailing by a bucket with less than 10 seconds left, Walker made a layup to tie the game at 95-95. The Bulldogs stole the inbounds pass and had a couple of close attempts rim out to send the game to double overtime.

The home team took a 100-97 lead early in the second extra session. A Weston layup cut the lead to one. Nichols later made a free throw to tie the game before another Weston layup with less than a minute to play put Dean on top by a deuce. Mitchell tied the game with a bucket on the next possession. Weston then made two game-clinching free throws. A three-point heave at the buzzer bounced off the rim and sent Dean home with the victory.