GARDEN CITY, N.Y. – The Thomas Jefferson University men's basketball team (3-3) conceded 17 of the first 21 points and could not recover as the Rams dropped a non-conference contest at Adelphi (3-3), 77-68, on Sunday afternoon.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Jefferson trailed 6-4 moments into the game but then the Panthers created separation with 11 straight points, part of a 16-3 run overall, and led 22-7 with 10:07 left in the first half. The margin was 13 (26-13) at the 7:00 mark before Adelphi tallied eight of the next 12 for its largest lead of the period (34-17) with 4:03 remaining. The score was 38-23 at halftime. The Panthers shot 53.6% during the frame while holding the Rams to just 34.5% from the field.
 
Jefferson netted the first bucket of the second half but Adelphi came back with a pair of threes for its largest lead of the game (44-25). The Rams trailed by 17 (46-29) before rallying with a 20-5 surge that cut the deficit down to two (51-49) with 10:12 remaining. Erik Timko led the charge with 14 points. However, the Panthers answered with 14 of the next 16 points, including four three-pointers, to up the difference to 14 (65-51) with 5:35 to play and knock out Jefferson for good. The Rams did not get within single digits again until the final minute.
 
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
Erik Timko: 32 points on 13-of-21 shooting, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal
Antonin Kemkeng: 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting, 4 rebounds, 1 assist
Bismark Nsiah: 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting, 3 steals, 1 rebound, 1 block
Ahmed Barba-Bey: 8 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block, 1 steal
 
JEFFERSON AS A TEAM
FG: 29-of-58 (50.0%)
3PT: 3-of-18 (16.7%)
FT: 7-of-8 (87.5%)
 
NOTES
- Jefferson shot 65.5% (19-of-29) in the second half and hit the 50.0% mark in a game for the second time this year.
- The Rams tied their season low with just three makes from beyond the arc.
- Jefferson struggled on the boards and was outrebounded, 37-20. The Rams have lost the battle on the glass in all three of their losses.
 
UP NEXT
The Rams begin conference play with a home matchup against Chestnut Hill on Wednesday, November 30^th at 6 p.m.