NEW CASTLE, Del. - Deondre Bourne scored 13 of the Rams' last 17 points, including the go-ahead three-pointer with 54 seconds remaining, to carry the Thomas Jefferson University men's basketball team (12-4, 8-1 CACC) to an 87-82 road win at Wilmington (Del.) on Wednesday.
 
GAMEPLAY
The two sides were even at four in the early going. The Rams netted nine of the next 12 to go in front 13-7. Darius Kinnel hit a pair of three-pointers during the stretch. However, Wilmington answered with an 8-2 run to tie it at 15. It was 17-all before Jefferson took control again, this time with eight straight points for a 25-17 advantage with 7:23 on the clock. Bourne had four of the eight points. The Rams maintained the lead for the rest of the period, leading by as many as 10 on the way to a 41-36 halftime advantage.
 
It was 46-40 in favor of Jefferson with 17:47 left in the second half. Wilmington came alive for eight of the next nine points to jump ahead 48-47. It remained a one-possession contest for several minutes. The Rams trailed 53-52 before stringing together five points and going in front 57-53. The Wildcats were still down four (68-64) with 5:32 to go before scoring five in a row to take a one-point edge (69-68). Each team converted a pair of free throws and the score was 71-70 in Wilmington's favor with 3:13 to play.
 
Bourne went to the line with 2:56 remaining and made both shots to give the Rams the lead. The Wildcats went back ahead on a jumper but Bourne responded with a three to put his team in control again, 75-73, with 2:25 to go. A Wilmington jump shot evened the score before Bourne came up big again, drilling another shot from beyond the arc to give Jefferson a 78-75 advantage with 1:36 left. The Wildcats hit their own three to tie it once more but Bourne was up to the task yet again, nailing his third straight triple to give the Rams the edge for good with 54 seconds to play.
 
Wilmington missed a three on its next possession and the Wildcats started putting Jefferson at the line. The Rams went 4-for-6 at the stripe but Wilmington had one more opportunity to even the score, trailing by three (85-82) with under 10 seconds remaining. However, the Wildcats' shot rimmed out and Bourne iced the game at the foul line.
 
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
- Deondre Bourne: 26 points with four three-pointers, 5 rebounds, 3 assists
- Antonin Kemkeng: 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting, 15 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block
- Darius Kinnel: 13 points, 2 assists, 1 rebound
- Erik Timko: 13 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 steals
 
JEFFERSON AS A TEAM
FG: 29-of-58 (50.0%)
3PT: 8-of-20 (40.0%)
FT: 21-of-29 (72.4%)
 
NOTES
- Kemkeng picked up his second straight double-double and ninth of the season.
- The Rams shot over 50 percent from the field for the seventh time this year.
- Jefferson has won six in a row against the Wildcats.
 
UP NEXT
The Rams head north to take on Bloomfield on Saturday, January 29 at 3 p.m.