PHILADELPHIA – The Thomas Jefferson University men's basketball team (11-4, 7-1 CACC) held off a feisty Caldwell squad on Sunday, defeating the Cougars, 88-79, at the Gallagher Center.
 
GAMEPLAY
The Rams jumped out to a 6-2 lead early in the first half. With Jefferson up five (12-7), Caldwell netted five in a row to even the score at 12. The Rams were in front by three (16-13) before the Cougars hit back-to-back buckets to go ahead 17-16 with 8:28 on the clock. The two squads traded baskets until Jefferson had a 24-23 edge with 5:34 to go. Caldwell rallied for five points to take a 28-24 advantage. Not to be outdone, the Rams responded with seven consecutive to seize control 31-28. However, the Cougars closed the period with an 8-2 surge to lead 36-33 at the break.
 
Erik Timko sank a three to begin the second half, tying the score at 36. Caldwell came back with seven straight points to reclaim the lead (43-36). It was still a seven-point margin at 52-45 before the Rams rallied for 11 of the next 15 points to bring it to a 56-56 stalemate. Bismark Nsiah, Darius Kinnel, and Deondre Bourne all hit shots from beyond the arc and Bourne added a layup. However, the Cougars answered with seven of their own to restore a seven-point cushion (63-56) with 6:33 remaining.
 
Trailing by seven, the Rams went on an 8-1 run to tie at 64 with 5:08 to play. Timko scored five points in the stretch and Connor Murphy came off the bench and drilled a three. The teams were deadlocked at 66 when Murphy dropped in another shot from behind the line to put Jefferson ahead by three with 3:29 left. The Rams would not trail again the rest of the game. Jefferson went a perfect 17-for-17 at the foul line down the stretch as Caldwell could not catch up.
 
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
- Erik Timko: 28 points on 6-of-11 shooting, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal
- Deondre Bourne: 19 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds, 1 steal
- Bismark Nsiah: 13 points (tied career high) on 5-of-5 shooting, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, 1 steal
- Antonin Kemkeng: 10 points, 13 rebounds, 1 assist
- Connor Murphy: 10 points, 1 rebound
 
JEFFERSON AS A TEAM
FG: 25-of-53 (47.2%)
3PT: 9-of-22 (40.9%)
FT: 29-of-35 (82.9%)
 
NOTES
- It was the eighth double-double of the season for Antonin Kemkeng.
- Jefferson made a season-high 29 free throws.
- It was the 1,134^th career win for Head Coach Herb Magee.
 
UP NEXT
The Rams head to Wilmington (Del.) for a CACC South Division matchup on Wednesday, January 26 at 8 p.m.