Photo Courtesy: Austyn Richter
FRANKLIN, MA- Coming into Monday’s game against Framingham State University, added pressure was on the Dean College side. The Bulldogs Men’s Basketball program has started off their 2024-25 campaign with the best start in their program’s Division Three history. All of their games have been at home, and this would be the final one before a tough road stretch. Dean has also never lost to FSU in 3 prior head-to-head matchups.
Framingham State had the momentum early on, having a six-point lead just over five minutes into the game. Both sides started off the contest slow, with neither side shooting above 41% from the field in the opening 20 minutes. With the Rams leading 32-31 at halftime, improved shooting and more pace from both teams led to a combined 89 points in the second half. The game saw six lead changes and seven ties throughout.
The Bulldogs led by seven points with under seven minutes to go. Some Bulldog turnovers and capitalization shots by the Rams allowed FSU to regain momentum back into the game, eventually cutting their deficit down to two. Despite a late comeback attempt by Framingham State, Dean College held on, defeating the Rams 79-73.
Kyle Philistin led the Rams in scoring with 21 points and recorded a staggering four steals but would foul out of the game with under a minute to go, eliminating any further production for him. Dyree Rogers contributed 17 points on 63% field shooting and recorded an offensive rebound for an eventual second-chance basket.
Frankie Idlett led the Bulldogs in scoring, totaling 27 points, including 4 3-pointers. Billy Ray Barnes and Christian Yeates also scored in double figures, with 19 and 11 respectively. Greg Farrow, despite shooting 20% from the floor, helped Dean tremendously with 11 rebounds in a 39-minute effort.
“It’s a blessing, it means a lot for us to win all these games”, said Idlett to sideline reporter Seth Trotochaud when asked about how it feels to start the season 8-0. “But it goes back to when we first got here…they [coaching staff] believe in us, and we believe in them. We just put the work in as soon as we got here, that’s all it is”.
FSU now holds a 6-4 record and will continue their five-game road trip against Brandeis University on Wednesday at 7:00 pm. Dean will travel on the road for their next game, facing off against Johnson and Wales University on Wednesday at 7:00 pm, exactly one month after their only road exhibition loss against Bryant University.
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