LINCOLN UNIVERSITY, Pa. – The Thomas Jefferson University men's basketball team (5-3) never trailed and held off a Lincoln rally in the second half to defeat the Lions (5-4), 70-56, in a non-conference game on Saturday.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Rams netted the first basket of the game then Lincoln sank a jumper to tie the score at two. Jefferson followed with five points for a 7-2 advantage before the Lions cut the deficit to one (7-6). The Rams then embarked on a 9-0 run to up the difference to 10 (16-6) with 11:26 on the clock. Erik Timko led the way with six points and Darius Kinnel added a three-pointer.
 
With the score 18-8, Lincoln closed the gap to two (24-22) with a 14-6 surge. Jefferson responded with 10 of the next 15 to make it a seven-point cushion (34-27) with 2:37 left in the half. The Rams had a nine-point advantage (38-29) at the intermission.
 
Timko opened the second period with a three-pointer to give Jefferson a 12-point lead (41-29). After the Lions shortened the deficit to nine (41-32), the Rams pulled away again with a 10-4 stretch for their largest lead of the day at 15 (51-36) with 12:30 to go. However, Lincoln did not go down easy, roaring back with a 14-1 run to get within two (52-50) at the 6:07 mark.
 
Jefferson recovered from the Lions' rally just in time, pouring in the next 11 points to restore a double-digit advantage (63-50) with 2:53 to play. Timko posted seven points and Antonin Kemkeng contributed four. Lincoln did not have a final push to give as the margin remained above 10 the rest of the way.
 
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
Erik Timko: 33 points on 9-of-15 shooting (5-8 3PT, 10-10 FT), 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal
Darius Kinnel: 11 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds, 1 block, 1 steal
Bismark Nsiah: 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 assist, 1 block
Hakim Byrd: 8 points, 6 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 steals
Antonin Kemkeng: 4 points, 16 rebounds, 1 block
 
JEFFERSON AS A TEAM
FG: 21-of-46 (45.7%)
3PT: 11-of-22 (50.0%)
FT: 17-of-20 (85.0%)
 
NOTES
- Erik Timko has scored 30-plus points in three straight contests and has seven 30-point performances for his career.
- Antonin Kemkeng tied his career best with 16 rebounds, a feat he has achieved five times.
- The Rams won back-to-back games for the first time this season.
 
UP NEXT
Jefferson travels to Wilmington for a CACC contest on Tuesday, December 6^th at 8 p.m.