WESTON, Mass. - After a close first half in which neither team held more than a one-possession lead, Dean College pulled away in the second half to defeat Regis College, 79-66, Saturday afternoon in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's basketball game at Higgins Court.

Russell Rau (Fitchburg, Mass.) notched his third double-double of the season, leading the Pride with 14 points and 13 rebounds. Devante Thompson (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) finished with 11 points, five rebounds, and four assists, while Justin Evelyn (Uniondale, N.Y.) also scored 11 points and Tate Pike (Bellingham, Mass.) added eight points off the bench.

The first half featured nine ties and 13 lead changes as neither team was able to establish more than a three-point advantage in the first 20 minutes. After scoring the final three points of the first half, Dean opened the second half with a 9-3 scoring run, capped by a three-pointer from Mark Blair, to open a nine-point lead at 40-31.

Regis closed to within two points eight minutes into the half on a three-pointer by Zakaria Latifi (Holliston, Mass.), but Dean went on a 10-2 scoring run, starting with a three-pointer from Malik Spearman and concluding with baskets by Charles Walker and Jakobi Greenleaf.

Gehrig Brynda (Deerfield, Mass.) hit a three-pointer and Rau made a layup to cut the Bulldog lead in half, but Dean went 13-for-14 from the free throw line in the final five-and-a-half minutes of the game to solidify its victory. For the game, the Bulldogs shot 81.3 percent (26-for-32) from the charity stripe.

Blair shot 8-for-10 from the field as he led the Bulldogs with 20 points and 10 rebounds, while AJ Weston was a perfect 12-for-12 from the free throw line as he finished with 15 points, five assists, and four steals. In 24 minutes of action off the bench, Walker collected 17 points and five rebounds, and Jayden Madise contributed nine points and eight rebounds to the winning effort.

The Pride shot 42.4 percent (25-for-59) from the field, including 9-for-29 from behind the three-point line, and 77.8 percent (7-for-9) from the free throw line. Dean won the rebounding battle, 42-35, including 17 offensive boards that led to 15 second chance points, plus the Bulldogs scored 17 points off 20 Regis turnovers.

Regis College (7-7, 3-4 GNAC) will play its next four games on the road, starting with a short trip to face Lasell University Tuesday, Jan. 17, beginning at 7:30 p.m. Dean College (10-4, 5-2 GNAC) hosts top ranked University of Saint Joseph Tuesday evening at 5 p.m.