Men's Basketball Takes Road Win And Hands Goldey-Beacom First Conference Loss
WILMINGTON, DE. - The Thomas Jefferson University men's basketball team (9-7, 3-3) shot 57.% on the floor and never trail in the game as the Rams cruised to a 99-78 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) win in the South Divsion over first place and previously undefeated in CACC play Goldey-Beacom College in Wednesday evening action.
WHAT HAPPENED
Both teams would see success early on in their shots, with the game even at 10-10 with Erik Timko and Ahmed Barba-Bey hitting three pointers for the Rams while Ayshion Centeno and Damani Thomas hit their's for the Lightning. Timko would convert his and-one while Bsimark Nsiah made a basket to get Jefferson up 15-10. They would keep their momentum going as Jeremiah Dorsey hit his three-pointer and Barba-Bey made the fastbreak basket to get Jefferson ahead 20-12. Goldey-Beacom would go on a 8-2 run to trail 22-20, but Antonin Kemkeng would score five points while Barba-Bey had six to put the Rams lead at 33-20 with 4:52 in the first half. Barba-Bey would make two more three pointers, putting him at 18 points in the first half, while Hakim Byrd followed him from beyond the arc as the Rams went into the break up 46-26.
Jefferson would not let up in the second half, outscoring the Lightning 53-52. Timko would have 18 of his team-leading 28 points in the second half, going 4-7 from beyond the arc. The Rams would get out ahead early, going up 56-28 with just under four minutes into the half. Goldey-Beacom would not sloutch in this quarter, only scoring one point less than the Rams as they cut Jefferson's lead to 17 with 9:41 in the game. The Rams would not miss through this game to get the Lightning back in, as Nsiah, Kemkeng, and Byrd all had points alongside Timko and Barba-Bey, with Kemkeng earning six of his 11 rebounds in the second to get him to a double double on the day. Farouk Kaba, Justin Hawkins, Jack Monyihan, and Cosby Napoleon all got on the scoresheet near the end of the game as Jefferson earned their 99-78 win over Goldey-Beacom. This would mark the first loss in the conference record for the Lightning while it was the first road win for the Rams.
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
Erik Timko: 28 points on 11-of-16 shooting (5-8 3PT), 4 rebounds, 3 assists
Ahmed Barba-Bey: 24 points on 9-of-15 shooting (5-7 3PT), 5 rebounds, 3 assists
Antonin Kemkeng: 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting, 11 rebounds, 2 blocks
Hakim Byrd: 7 points on 2-of-7 shooting (2-5 3PT), 4 rebounds, 4 assists
Bismark Nisha: 6 points on 3-of-4 shooting, 7 rebounds, 5 assists
UP NEXT
Jefferson will look back to the Gallagher Center for their next contest when they host #24/11 nationally ranked Post University this Saturday, January 20 at 2 p.m. This will be the second nationally ranked team Jefferson faces this season, with the Rams rolling over St. Thomas Aquinas College 97-79. The Spartans were ranked #13/7 in the NABC and D2CSC poll before they faced Jefferson.
