PHILADELPHIA – The Thomas Jefferson University men's basketball team (15-11, 11-5 CACC) topped visiting Goldey-Beacom (10-17, 7-9 CACC), 82-73, in conference action on Wednesday night.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
There were three ties early in the first half with the last coming at 11 apiece. The Lightning then scored nine of the next 11 to go ahead 20-13 with 11:09 on the clock. The difference was six (27-21) at the 6:00 mark when the Rams rallied with a 19-6 run to take a 40-33 advantage with 27 seconds left. Erik Timko and Hakim Byrd each had six points and Ahmed Barba-Bey added five to spark the surge. GBC hit a jumper just before the buzzer and the halftime score was 40-35.
 
The Lightning got within three (42-39) early in the second half then Jefferson came back with five in a row to up the margin to eight (47-39). The teams traded baskets for several minutes and the difference was six (54-48) with 12:13 to go. The Rams pulled away with a 14-6 stretch to increase the cushion to 14 (68-54) with 6:26 remaining. GBC was only able to close the gap to nine the rest of the way.
 
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
Erik Timko: 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting, 7 assists, 5 rebounds, 1 block, 1 steal
Ahmed Barba-Bey: 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting, 3 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 steal
Hakim Byrd: 12 points, 3 assists, 1 rebound, 1 steal
Antonin Kemkeng: 12 points on 6-of-11 shooting, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks, 2 assists, 2 steals
Bismark Nsiah: 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals
Darius Kinnel: 9 points on 4-of-5 shooting, 4 assists, 3 rebounds
 
JEFFERSON AS A TEAM
FG: 34-of-59 (57.6%)
3PT: 9-of-23 (39.1%)
FT: 5-of-12 (41.7%)
 
NOTES
- Erik Timko scored over 20 points for the fourth straight game and the 17^th time this season.
- Timko tied his career high with seven assists.
- Jefferson lost the rebound battle for just the second time in its last nine games.
 
CACC PLAYOFF PICTURE
The Rams have secured the South Division's top seed for next week's CACC Tournament. Jefferson's opponent for the quarterfinals on February 28^th is still undetermined as Post and Alliance are still alive for the final spot in the North Division entering the last day of the regular season.
 
UP NEXT
The Rams wrap up the regular season at home versus Holy Family on Saturday, February 25^th at 4 p.m.