Franklin, MA- The Dean College men's basketball team secured their first postseason victory since 2020, taking down Anna Maria College by a final score of 89-87. Dean will now continue in the GNAC tournament and keep their hopes alive for a title.

The game opened with Dean possession, followed by a quick layup by Christian Yeates (Atlanta, GA). Noah Ritchards (Rosenburg, TX) then drove down the other side of the court and blocked a layup attempt by the AmCats. Yeates entered the scoring panel again, along with Billy Ray Barnes III (Inglewood, CA), generating back-to-back buckets from the field. After the AmCats got on the board with a scoop and score, Barnes returned to offense and drilled a three-pointer, forcing Anna Maria to burn a timeout. Dean opened on a 9-2 run in the first three minutes of play. 

With about 14 minutes left in the half, Greg Farrow (Milwaukee, WI) checked into the game and secured a deep three-pointer. Tyler Nordstrom (Sterling, CT) picked up the assist. Shortly after, Ja'maine Davenport (Mays Landing, NJ) drew another foul by Anna Maria, securing extra points for the Bulldogs. By the midway mark of the first half, Dean already possessed a 16-point lead. 

The middle section of the half saw Anna Maria slowly crawl their way back into the ballgame. After a few fast breaks, the AmCats brought the game with seven. However, Davenport and Idlett quickly ended the threat. Dean capitalized on fouls in the final minutes, taking a 10-point lead while putting Anna Maria into their foul limit. The Bulldogs had the lead 47-37 going into the locker room. 

At the start of the second half, Dean grabbed a stop on defense, followed by a close miss by Yeates on the attack. The AmCats, however, got the first points of the half with a deep three-point shot. Anna Maria continued their offensive surge, scoring multiple layups and bringing the deficit to just five. Their production forced the Bulldogs to take a timeout and regroup. 

After the timeout, the war of attrition began. The AmCats smacked a deep three, bringing the Dean lead to just one point. However, Idlett smoothly responded for Dean, ringing a mid-range jumper to aid the damage. Shortly after, the Bulldogs responded again, with Davenport securing an offensive board and layup. By the final ten minutes of the game, the difference remained one point.

The final ten minutes saw Dean gain new life on offense. The likes of Barnes, Farrow, Yeates, and Idlett all contributed underneath the basket, bringing the Bulldog lead back to five. Dean also forced consecutive turnovers by Anna Maria, swinging the momentum in their favor. However, the AmCats quickly rallied back, grabbing consecutive boards and driving back to score. The game remained 75-74 Dean with just over three minutes left to play.

With the Bulldogs leading by four with 60 seconds on the clock, Barnes sunk a basket to secure a deeper lead. Anna Maria quickly responded on the other side, scoring a layup and calling timeout. 

The game was decided by the final ten seconds. Down by two, Anna Maria drove into the paint and emphatically tied the game. However, with five seconds left, Idlett called for the game, drove into the paint, and delivered the go-ahead basket with 1.8 seconds remaining. Ritchards then blocked the AmCats' inbound attempt, finalizing the game for Dean.

Idlett led the way for Dean with 25 total points, ten rebounds, and three steals. Meanwhile, Barnes followed closely with 22 points and five rebounds. Davenport finished third in total points with 15. As a team, Dean shot nearly 48 percent from the field and accumulated 42 total rebounds.

This marks Dean's first postseason victory since 2020. They will now travel to #2 Lasell University tomorrow night for a 7PM tip-off.