PHILADELPHIA – The Thomas Jefferson University men's basketball team (13-4, 9-1 CACC) pulled away in the second half for a 78-58 victory over visiting Georgian Court in a CACC matchup on Thursday evening.
 
GAMEPLAY
Deondre Bourne hit a pair of threes for the Rams to open the scoring and take a 6-0 lead early in the first half. The Lions got within four (8-4) but Jefferson increased its advantage to 10 (14-4) with six straight points. The margin was eight (19-11) with 11:12 on the clock before the Rams went on an 8-0 run to make it 27-11 at the 9:04 mark. GCU trailed 33-20 with 5:44 left but closed the gap to three (33-30) with a 10-0 surge. Bismark Nsiah beat the buzzer with a layup and Jefferson had a 35-30 lead at the break.
 
In the second half, the Rams clung to a three-point cushion (43-40) with 14:53 remaining. Jefferson then stretched the margin to 17 (61-44) with an 18-4 run. Bourne led the rally with eight points. It was the deciding sequence of the contest as the Lions came no closer than 15 (61-46) the rest of the way and the Rams led by as many as 24 (78-54) on the way to the win.
 
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
- Erik Timko: 23 points on 9-of-16 shooting, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block
- Deondre Bourne: 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting (4-4 3PT), 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals
- Antonin Kemkeng: 15 points on 7-of-14 shooting, 11 rebounds, 1 assist
- Darius Kinnel: 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting, 1 rebound, 1 assist
- Bismark Nsiah: 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 blocks, 1 steal
 
JEFFERSON AS A TEAM
FG: 32-of-58 (55.2%)
3PT: 4-of-12 (33.3%)
FT: 10-of-14 (71.4%)
 
NOTES
- The Rams shot over 50 percent for the third straight game and ninth time this season.
- Jefferson was an impressive 19-for-29 (65.5%) from the field in the second half.
- Antonin Kemkeng scored all 15 of his points in the second half and tallied his fourth straight double-double.
 
CACC PLAYOFF PICTURE
Jefferson has already clinched a spot in the conference tournament with seven games remaining. The Rams sit in first place in the South Division with a 10-1 CACC record. Jefferson is a full two games ahead of second-place Chestnut Hill.
 
UP NEXT
The Rams remain at home and host Post on Saturday, February 5 at 4 p.m.