LAKEWOOD, N.J. - The Thomas Jefferson University women's basketball team (20-6, 12-4 CACC) locked up a CACC playoff spot on Saturday and defeated host Georgian Court, 64-55.
 
GAMEPLAY
The Rams trailed 3-2 early then went on a 7-0 run to take the lead. However, the Lions came back with 10 in a row for a 13-9 advantage with 4:07 on the clock. Trailing 15-11, Jefferson finished the period with six of the last nine points to get within one (18-17).
 
After a GCU free throw began the scoring in the second quarter, Morgan Robinson made a layup to get the Rams even at 19 apiece. It was the first of six ties in the frame as the two squads battled back and forth. With the score at 29-all, Jefferson netted the last four points of the half, all at the foul line, to take a 33-29 lead into the break.
 
The Lions recorded a layup to start the third and close the gap to two (33-31). The Rams then registered five straight points to up the margin to seven (38-31) with 7:33 left. Haley Meinel's layup at 5:30 made it a nine-point difference (42-33). Georgian Court rallied for seven of the next nine to cut the deficit to four (44-40) but Jefferson ended the quarter with an 8-2 run for a 10-point cushion (52-42) entering the final period. Meinel had five points in the stretch and Allie Warren added three.
 
GCU opened the fourth with a three-pointer but the Rams answered with four points to lead by 11 (56-45). The Lions poured in five of the next seven to get within eight (58-50) with 5:32 to play. However, Jefferson locked down on defense for the next five minutes to claim the win, outscoring Georgian Court 5-0 and forcing the Lions to miss their next five shots and commit two turnovers. At the end of the stretch, the Rams were ahead by 13 (63-50) with just 46 seconds to go.
 
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
- Haley Meinel: 18 points on 7-of-15 shooting, 3 steals, 2 rebounds, 2 assists
- Morgan Robinson: 12 points on 5-of-5 shooting, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals
- Emily Keehfuss: 10 points on 3-of-5 shooting (2-3 3PT), 2 rebounds, 1 assist
- Cassie Murphy: 8 points, 7 rebounds
 
JEFFERSON AS A TEAM
FG: 23-of-51 (45.1%)
3PT: 3-of-7 (42.9%)
FT: 15-of-17 (88.2%)
 
NOTES
- The Rams were 5-for-8 (62.5%) from the field in the fourth quarter.
- Jefferson forced 22 Georgian Court turnovers. It was the 12^th time this season that a Rams' opponent has had 20-plus miscues.
- Morgan Robinson grabbed her 300^th career rebound.
 
CACC PLAYOFF PICTURE
With two games remaining in the regular season, the Rams sit in third place in the CACC South Division. Jefferson can finish no worse than third. The top four teams in the division qualify for the conference tournament.
 
The Rams still have an outside shot at hosting a quarterfinal contest. Jefferson would need to win both of its final two games while also needing second-place USciences to lose both of its last two contests. One of those remaining games pits the two squads against each other.
 
UP NEXT
Jefferson hosts USciences for its final home game of the regular season on Wednesday, February 23 at 8 p.m.