RINDGE, N.H. – The Thomas Jefferson University men's basketball team (1-0) erased a halftime deficit and outscored American International, 37-22, in the second half to earn a season-opening 73-65 victory over the Yellow Jackets (0-1) on Saturday.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
There were seven ties in the opening half as the teams traded baskets in the early going. With the score even at 19, AIC went on a 12-2 run to take a 31-21 advantage with 5:25 to go. The Rams answered with 10 of the next 12 to close the gap to two (33-31) at the 3:24 mark. Hakim Byrd and Ahmed Barba-Bey each scored five points during the stretch. The Yellow Jackets came back with 10 of the last 15 points of the period and carried a 43-36 lead into halftime.
 
Jefferson began the second half with a 9-2 rally to tie the score at 45 with 14:59 on the clock. The two squads then traded the lead for the next several minutes. American International's final advantage came at 60-59 with 5:54 to play. The Rams then took over for good with five straight points as Erik Timko drilled a three and Byrd followed with a layup to put Jefferson in front 64-60 with 3:41 left. The Yellow Jackets hit a three-pointer but Bismark Nsiah responded with a dunk to give the Rams a three-point cushion (66-63).
 
After an AIC foul shot cut the deficit to two (66-64), Timko made a layup to restore a four-point difference (68-64) with 1:48 to go. The Yellow Jackets then missed their next two shots, forcing AIC to foul and extend the game. Jefferson went 5-for-6 at the line to ice the contest while the Yellow Jackets did not make another field goal.
 
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
Ahmed Barba-Bey: 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting (3-4 3PT), 2 rebounds, 2 assists
Erik Timko: 16 points on 7-of-13 shooting, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal
Hakim Byrd: 14 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal
Antonin Kemkeng: 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting, 9 rebounds, 2 assists
Bismark Nsiah: 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 block, 1 steal
 
JEFFERSON AS A TEAM
FG: 29-of-54 (53.7%)
3PT: 8-of-22 (36.4%)
FT: 7-of-12 (58.3%)
 
NOTES
- It was the first career victory for Head Coach Jimmy Reilly.
- Erik Timko scored his 500^th career point.
- The Rams have won seven straight season openers.
 
UP NEXT
Jefferson finishes its opening weekend against Franklin Pierce on Sunday, November 13^th at 4 p.m.