Regis Men’s Hoop Wins GNAC Opener Saturday

WESTON, Mass. – Regis College raced out to an early lead thanks to the three-point shot, and then the Pride continually played strong defense on their way to a 66-56 victory over Norwich University Saturday afternoon in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference men's basketball game at Higgins Court.

Dimitri Rosa (Tiverton, R.I.) hit five three-pointers in the first half, finishing 7-of-11 from long distance in the game for a career-high 21 points, making the second-most three-pointers in a single game in program history. Jordan Seldon (Dorchester, Mass.) added three three-pointers of his own to finish with 13 points, Ademola Afonja (Staten Island, N.Y.) contributed 11 points, eight rebounds, and three steals, and Marc Trinidad (Bronx, N.Y.) added eight points, eight rebounds, and three assists off the bench.

Rosa hit four three-pointers and Seldon made two three-pointers in the first seven minutes of the game as Regis established a 21-7 advantage. Another Rosa three-pointer later in the first half extended the Pride lead to 32-14, but Norwich responded with 11 unanswered points, led by Samuel-Noah Osarenkhoe with seven points, as the Cadets closed to within seven before a layup by Devante Thompson (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) gave Regis a 34-25 lead at halftime.

Norwich (6-9, 0-3 GNAC) closed to within seven thanks to five straight points from Caleb Casinas early in the second half. Regis extended its lead back into double digits with seven unanswered points, capped by a steal and fast-break dunk from Seldon midway through the half. After the Cadets scored six straight points to cut their deficit to eight at 48-40, Rosa hit another three-pointer, and the Pride maintained a double-digit lead the rest of the way.

Casinas led the Cadets with 20 points, while Kyle Booth finished with 15 points and nine rebounds. As a team, Norwich shot 35.1 percent (20-of-57) from the field, including 4-of-13 from behind the three-point line, and 75 percent (12-of-16) from the free throw line.

The Pride ended the game at 43.1 percent (25-of-58) field goal shooting, including 10-of-22 from behind the three-point line, and 66.7 percent (6-of-9) free throw shooting. Each team pulled down 37 rebounds and committed 17 turnovers.

Regis (6-9, 1-0 GNAC) heads to Boston to face Emmanuel College Tuesday, Jan. 15, followed by a trip north to take on Colby-Sawyer Thursday, Jan. 17, with both games starting at 7 p.m. The Pride return to Higgins Court next Saturday, Jan. 19, against Lasell beginning at 1 p.m.