PRIDE FALL JUST SHORT AT #10 DICKINSON

WESTON, Mass. - Regis College did not disappoint in their first NCAA Tournament game, nearly upsetting #10 Dickinson College, before falling 74-64 in the First Round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament on Friday night.

Sam Jean-Gilles (Melrose, Mass.) banked in a three to put Regis on top, 62-61, with 2:13 remaining in regulation, but the Red Devils rallied back to end the game on a 13-2 run and defeat Regis 74-64.

Jean-Gilles finished with a team-high 18 points to go with five rebounds and a pair of steals. Jeff Tagger Jr. (Brockton, Mass.) joined him in double-figures with 12 points and four steals, while Chris Leak Jr. (New Haven, Conn.) had 10 points, eight rebounds, and three steals off the bench.

Dickinson jumped out to an early 7-2 lead before five straight points by the Pride knotted the score at 7-7. The Red Devils eventually led 24-16, and the Pride answered with a 9-0 run, capped off by an emphatic Chris Leak Jr. dunk that gave the Pride a short-lived 25-24 lead. Steve Collins put Dickinson back in front 26-25 with a jumper, before Jaiwon Martin (Coral Springs, Fla.) scored inside to take the lead back with under a minute to play.

The two teams traded misses and Regis appeared to be taking a 27-26 lead into the half, but Gerry Wixted connected on a deep three as time expired on the period to give the Red Devils a 29-27 lead.

Wixted scored five of Dickinson's first seven points in the period as a triple from the senior staked the hosts to a 36-29 lead. Tagger Jr. knocked down a triple, and Chris Keaton (Beverly, Mass.) tipped in a miss, before Tagger Jr. hit another layup to tie the score at 36-all.

The Red Devils jumped out to a 44-40 lead with 10:51 to play, and back-to-back layups by Jordan Monts (Springfield, Mass.) and Tagger Jr. each hit layups to tie the game.

With Dickinson leading 49-44 after another Wixted triple, Jean-Gilles went on a personal 7-3 run to pull the Pride within 52-51. Again Dickinson answered by going up 57-51, and the Pride went on an 11-4 run, capped off by Jean-Gilles banked in three to go up 62-61.

Steve Collins and Brandon Angradi nailed back-to-back threes, and the Red Devils hit 7-of-8 freethrows down the stretch to hang on for the 74-64 win.

Gerry Wixted led all scorers with 34 points, while Ted Hinnenkamp chipped in 15 points.

The Red Devils will take on Albertus Magnus College in the Second Round tomorrow night at 7:00 p.m.