Dean College gets its first conference win of the season in comeback fashion. (Photo Courtesy: Deanbulldogs.com).
The Dean College Bulldogs defeated the Regis College Pride 64-61 on Saturday afternoon in front of a raucous crowd inside Pieri Gymnasium, the first time fans were allowed back in the stands this semester.
The Bulldogs dominated the first half as they went on a 12-3 run to take a 30-21 lead with 5:16 remaining until halftime. However, the Pride answered with back-to-back three pointers to cut the lead to three, until Dean then went on a 14-3 run to go into halftime, which was highlighted with a three pointer by Traijan Powell as time was expiring to take a 44-30 lead into the locker room.
Powell led the way for the Bulldogs as he finished with 18 points, 8 rebounds and 4 steals. Senior Winston Bryan came in second in the points category finishing with 14.
After Dean dominated from inside the three-point line (43%) in the first half, they went ice cold in the second half shooting only 23%. And while Regis only shot 10% from behind the arc in the second half, they made up for it in the paint shooting 33%. In addition, the Pride dominated in points off turnovers (20-7), helping them turn a 54-42 Dean lead with just over 10 minutes remaining in the game into a a 61-55 Regis lead with just over two minutes left. The Pride were led by senior Mark Trinidad who recorded a double-double, finishing with 22 points, 11 rebounds and 4 blocks.
Powell started the comeback for Dean as he hit a jumper and then forced a turnover which led to a fast break basket by Dion Zhuta. Winston Bryan then made a jumper that tied the game at 61 with 47 seconds left in regulation. After that, getting a defensive stop, junior Jonathon Larson made one out of two free throws with 25 seconds left to put Dean ahead by one, and he then followed that up with a big-time block of a Regis layup attempt on the other end of the court that gave the Bulldogs the ball back. Senior Nick Sampeck then iced the game with two foul shots at the charity stripe with only four seconds left.
“Our leadership aspect helped us, and everyone bought into what coach had to say.” Powell said after the game.
While Larson came up clutch for Dean in high-pressure situations, he tried to view it from another lens. “On the free throw I knew it was a high-pressure situation, but I tried to not make it any more stressful than it was and just shoot the ball. As for the block on defense, I had to do something or else they would have won.”
Both Powell and Larson acknowledged the obvious effect of having fans back in the building back on the game. “I appreciate the fans for being The Dean Difference, Powell jokingly said with a laugh. “It’s fun when we have fans because without them it is hard to get energized when you don’t have people cheering you on.” Larson added.
“We kept fighting. We have been in that situation before, and two to three weeks ago, we'd probably lose by 10. This time we continued to battle and kept our heads up in the huddle and our body language was better. I think this win shows that our team has some grit and toughness deep down inside of us,” Dean head coach Joe Cabral explained after the game. He also credits their fight for being able to stay close in their previous losses, which in his mind allowed them to finally get this victory.
Coach Cabral would still like to see his team cut down on the turnovers and start dribbling with their heads up to be able to make the next pass. He also would like them to work on their shots, specifically from three-point land and at the charity stripe.
Dean improves to 6-13 overall and 1-11 in the GNAC conference as they snap a 12-game losing streak. Regis falls to 8-10 and 5-7 in the conference. The Pride will be back in action on Monday night when they will play at Anna Maria at 5pm.
The Bulldogs will be back in action when they play Regis College again, except this time on the road at 6pm on Tuesday when they will look to hold onto their momentum and have a good couple days of practice in between. Coach Cabral is also expecting sophomore Shim Daniels to return for that game after missing today’s game, as he was still recovering from a swollen ankle that he injured last Friday.
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