Men's Basketball: Mika's double-double not enough in loss to Dean College

(Nashua, N.H) The Rivier University Men's Basketball team's late comeback fell just short as they dropped a non-conference decision to visiting Dean College, 86-71 in front of about 50 people inside the Muldoon Gymnasium. The loss sends the Raiders' overall record 1-9 as they closed out the first semester of action. Dean College, who is making the transition from the NJCAA to the NCAA Division III, are now 8-5 overall on the year with a 3-5 record against other NCAA Division III schools.

Rivier found themselves down by 21 at one point in the second half but was able to mount a small rally which cut the deficit to just eight points with over a minute remaining. The Bulldogs were able to make their free throws down the stretch to secure the win.

Junior AbdoulNasser Mika (Boston, Mass.) recorded his first double-double of the season with 12 points and 15 rebounds in a reserve effort for Rivier. Freshman Tristian Givens (Windsor, Conn.) led the team with 22 points and classmate Keith Poitier (East Hartford, Conn.) pumped in 20 points in the loss. Sophomore Bruce Barton (Webster, N.H.) also had a solid afternoon with nine points and four rebounds.

The Bulldogs were paced by sophomore Dayvon Russell (Naugatuck, Conn.) who knocked down 7-of-10 and 12-of-14 from the charity stripe for a game-high 30 points. Sophomore Randolf Thurman (Swampscott, Mass.) contributed 14 points while classmate Kendall Hamilton (Lakeville, Mass.) totaled 11 points and nine rebounds. Freshman Josh Croskey (Union, N.J.) provided additional help with 12 points off the bench for Dean.

After playing five games in the past ten days, the Raiders will enjoy close to three weeks off before opening up second semester action with a Great Northeast Athletic Conference contest at Lasell College on January 5th. Dean College, meanwhile, will have twelve days before they travel to New Jersey Institute of Technology on December 22nd.