PHILADELPHIA – Going up 46-20 in the first half and shooting over 50% in both quarters, the Thomas Jefferson University men's basketball team (3-4) were able to play a solid night on both ends of the court as the Rams concluded their home contest inside of the Gallagher Center with a 89-60 non-conference win over Lincoln University (3-5) in Tuesday evening competition.
 
WHAT HAPPENED
The Lions went ahead early on as a three-pointer from Freddie Young Jr. helped Lincoln go ahead 9-3. Jefferson would begin to cut into the lead, with Ahmed Barba-Bey scoring five of his team-leading 17 points early on, including an and-one play, that saw the Rams go up 17-13. After Lincoln scored a basket, Jefferson dropped 11 points in a row, with Erik Timko hitting a three while Barba-Bey got four more points. Ashotn Miller made a layup while Bismark Nsiah hit two free throws to make their lead 28-15 with 9:39 in the first half.
 
The rams would keep their momentum going, eventually making the game 36-17 after an Antonin Kemkeng layup. Lincoln would get two shots into the net, but Hakim Byrd answered with two threes left in the first, helping the Rams go into the break up 46-20. Kemkeng would be a big factor in possession for the Rams, snatching seven of his 11 rebounds on the day, helping him to a double double with 14 points on the night
 
Both teams would be physical to begin the second half, drawing 11 fouls in the first two minutes of the period. The Lions would use that to their advantage, making 3-4 free throws in that timespan. Bakir Cleveland would hit a fastbreak layup and a three to cut the Ram lead to 50-30. Both teams would begin to trade points, with Nsiah having eight of his 15 points in the second half. Troy McGregor would hit a jumper, Timko converted on a three, and Kemkeng hit a dunk alongside Nsiah, with both men earning a double double on the night, to eventually finish the game and earn the 89-60 victory at home. This also makes it 14 straight regular season home wins for the Rams, dating back to February 15, 2022.
 
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
Ahmed Barba-Bey: 17 points on 5-of-15 shooting, 7-7 FT, 8 rebounds, 5 assists
Hakim Byrd: 15 points on 4-of-5 shooting (3-3 3PT), 4-5 FT, 2 rebounds, 2 assists
Bismark Nsiah: 15 points on 4-of-6 shooting, 7-8 FT, 10 rebounds, 4 blocks
Antonin Kemkeng: 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting, 11 rebounds, 4 blocks
Erik Timko: 13 points on 4-of-8 shooting (3-7 3PT), 7 rebounds, 2 assists
 
UP NEXT
Jefferson will now have their first Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) game of the season, as they will not go far for their road matchup when they face Chestnut Hill College on Saturday, December 2 at 3 p.m.