PHILADELPHIA – Caldwell University (21-9) took the lead with 2:54 to play and held off the Thomas Jefferson University men's basketball team (18-12) the rest of the way for a 72-69 victory over the Rams to win the CACC Championship and earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Tournament at the Gallagher Center on Sunday.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Jefferson took a 4-0 lead then the Cougars scored seven in a row to go in front 7-4. The Rams answered with an 11-2 run for a six-point advantage (15-9) with 13:08 on the clock. With the score 17-11, Caldwell posted a 21-6 surge to go ahead 32-23 with 5:08 remaining in the half. Trailing 34-25, Jefferson closed the period with a 16-4 stretch to lead by three (41-38) at the intermission.
 
The Cougars opened the second half with a three-pointer to tie the score at 41. The Rams then poured in seven in a row to take a 48-41 advantage. Erik Timko tallied five of the seven points. Caldwell cut the deficit to three (48-45) but Jefferson totaled eight of the next 10 to up the margin to nine (56-47) with 11:35 to go. The Cougars came back with a 14-3 run to jump in front 61-59 with 6:47 remaining.
 
The Rams produced a 6-1 stretch to retake the lead, 65-62, with 3:49 left. However, Jefferson missed its next four shots and Caldwell hit two straight buckets to take a 66-65 advantage with 2:54 on the clock. The Cougars were then sent to the line twice and converted four foul shots for a five-point cushion (70-65) with 28 seconds to play.
 
Ahmed Barba-Bey drilled a three to get the Rams within two (70-68) at the 21-second mark. The Rams were forced to foul and Caldwell made one shot to go up by three (71-68). Jefferson then drew a foul but also only made one free throw and the score was 71-69 with nine seconds left. The Cougars were sent to the stripe once more and again made just one attempt, giving the Rams an opportunity to tie down three (72-69). However, Jefferson's three-point attempt was off the mark, giving Caldwell the title.
 
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
Erik Timko: 18 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 steal
Hakim Byrd: 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting, 2 rebounds, 2 assists
Ahmed Barba-Bey: 11 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal
Bismark Nsiah: 10 points, 14 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks, 2 steals
Antonin Kemkeng: 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting, 9 rebounds
 
JEFFERSON AS A TEAM
FG: 23-of-56 (41.1%)
3PT: 8-of-24 (33.3%)
FT: 15-of-18 (83.3%)
 
CACC ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Erik Timko, Bismark Nsiah, and Ahmed Barba-Bey were named to the CACC All-Tournament Team.
 
CACC TOP XVII AWARD
Darius Kinnel won the CACC Top XVII Award for the second straight year as the student-athlete with the highest cumulative GPA at the championship site.