#3/4 Women's Basketball Completes Perfect Conference Record; Pulls Away in Second Half Over Holy Family
PHILADELPHIA, PA – The #3/4 ranked Thomas Jefferson University women's basketball team (27-1, 16-0) held a 25-22 lead after the break. The Rams outpaced the Tigers 35-19 throughout the second half as Jefferson completed a perfect regular season conference record with a 60-41 win over Holy Family University (20-8, 10-6) in their Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) South matchup.
WHAT HAPPENED
The Tigers held their own with Jefferson, pushing them to an even 6-6 score. Holy Family began a 8-3 run that saw a three by Taylor Hinkle. The Rams responded by two Cassie Murphy free throws to make it 14-11 in favor of the Tigers. Haley Meinel had three of her five steals in the first quarter plus two baskets. Morgan Robinson also scored a layup in the first while Emma Kuczynski made a three for Jefferson.
The Rams ended up tying the game off of a three pointer by Meinel and Emily Keehfuss to even it out at 17-17 with 7:17 before the break. Sam Yencha added a basket to put Jefferson upfront. Holy Family retook the lead, going 3-4 from the free throw line. Murphy and Jordy Thomas made their shots for the Rams, and Tori Nigro hit a basket with seven seconds in the first half to get Jefferson up in the break 25-22.
Jefferson took control in the third quarter, scoring 19 points while holding the Tigers to only eight during the 10 minutes. Murphy hit two free throws and a Yencha layup added to their lead and made it 29-22. Kuczynski hit three shots from beyond the arc as Jefferson was now holding a double digit lead. Meinel made a layup while Yencha and Murphy converted their shots from the charity line for the Rams to go into the fourth ahead 44-30.
Jefferson did not let Holy Family back in the last quarter, outscoring the Tiger 16-11. Meinel, Yencha, and Robinson both had two baskets in the final period with Kuczynski making one to maintain the Rams lead and secure a perfect 16-0 conference record in Jefferson's 60-38 victory over Holy Family.
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
Haley Meinel: 14 points on 6-of-13 shooting, 5 steals, 2 blocks
Emma Kuczynski: 14 points on 5-of-11 shooting (4-6 3PT), 5 rebounds, 3 assists
Sam Yencha: 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting, 9 rebounds
Cassie Murphy: 8 points on 1-of-9 shooting, 6-6 FT, 4 rebounds, 2 assists
Morgan Robinson: 7 points on 3-of-8 shooting, 6 assists, 4 rebounds
PERFECT RECORD
Jefferson ended their CACC run with a perfect 16-0 record. This is the first time the Rams have finished their regular season undefeated in conference play in school history. Jefferson has been 22-1 the past two seasons in the CACC, with their only conference loss against Chestnut Hill on January 25, 2023 in a 57-44 defeat. The Rams then went onto a 23-conference winning streak, a school record for Jefferson that they will look to maintain next season.
UP NEXT
The Rams will now begin CACC Championship Tournament play on Tuesday, March 5 when the Rams, who are the #1 seed in the South, will welcome #4 seeded University of Bridgeport to the Gallagher Center with the game to begin at 7:30 p.m.
