Men’s Basketball Falls by One to Dean in Triple OT

FRANKLIN, Mass. — The Rivier men's basketball team lost 104-103 in triple overtime to Dean in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play on Saturday afternoon at Pieri Gymnasium.  

Despite the loss, Odarius Cade was welcomed to the 1,000-point club and Nikolas Pignone broke the record for three-pointers made in a career.  

The Raiders are 13-10 overall and 5-8 in the GNAC, while Dean moves to 8-15 on the season and 4-8 in GNAC matchups.  

In this high-scoring matchup, the Bulldogs headed into the locker room after the first half with the lead, 34-27. 

Rivier tallied the first couple of buckets of the contest but then trailed Dean for the majority of the game.  

It wasn't until 11:15 of the second half when Cade worked for a steal, resulting in a layup to tie the score at 51-51.  

The Raiders and the Bulldogs were neck and neck for the remainder of the half with an end score of 76-76, forcing overtime.  

After going bucket for bucket overtime, the score was still tied at 86-86, sending the teams into double OT.  

Both Rivier and Dean scored another ten points, resulting in triple overtime.  

With a second left in OT Jayden Madise of Dean grabbed the rebound, and Riv naturally fouled. Madise missed his first shot given but redeemed himself and made the second, ending the thriller at 104-103.  

The Raiders made intense efforts but were unable to come out on top. 

Cade led the Raiders offense, totaling 33 points and five rebounds. Robenson Baguidy followed shortly behind with 24 points and eight rebounds. Devin Owens contributed 21 points with eight rebounds for Riv.  

Madise of Dean earned a double-double, recording 17 points and especially excelling on the defensive side, picking up 20 boards. Paris Smith also contributed with a double-double for the Bulldogs with 15 rebounds and 12 points. Dean's AJ Weston led the squad with 32 points.  

Riv and Dean shot similarly from the free-throw line and the field. Rivier shot 43.2% from the field, with Dean shooting slightly better at 44.1%. From the free throw mark, Dean went 20-26 (76.9%) and Riv was 11-15 (73.3%). The Raiders continue to favor the three ball, outshooting the Bulldogs from behind the three-point line at 25.6% to their 14.3%.  

The Raiders are home in the Muldoon Center for Senior Night Tuesday, Feb. 13 against Mitchell with a tip-off of 5:00 p.m. for another GNAC matchup.