Sanoh's Game-Winning Layup Lifts Men's Basketball Against Caldwell
CALDWELL, N.J. – With a turnover that gave Thomas Jefferson University men's basketball (9-5, 5-2) the ball on Caldwell University (5-10, 3-5) side of the court with one second left,
Moustapha Sanoh got the floating pass and threw it to the basket where the ball bounced around before ultimately falling in the net, giving the Rams a 84-82 victory against the Cougars.
WHAT HAPPENED
- Jefferson produced in the first half as they outscored Caldwell 46-34. The Rams shot 53.13% on the floor in the first half. The Cougars weren't far behind, going 11-of-27 (40.74%) in the first 20 minutes. Jefferson used their 8-of-18 first half three-pointers to push themselves ahead of Caldwell while the Cougars were 11-13 on the charity stripe that had their deficit only at 12 points during the break
- Isaiah Thomas-McClain scored 12 of his 15 points in the first half, going 4-of-8 on the court and 3-of-6 from beyond the arc. Alex Bates IV added 10 points as he went 4-of-5 shooting and 2-3 from three. Thomas-McClain also added five assists while Jahmare Memphis distributed three of his own
- The second half saw the home team begin to rally back as they went on a 15-2 run that gave them a 49-48 lead with 14:07 to go
- Both teams would begin to trade the lead multiple times throughout the rest of the second half. The Cougars went ahead 66-61, but the Rams bounced back and took the lead 70-68
- After both teams traded baskets, Caldwell got the ball of a turnover with one second left on the clock. They attempted a deep pass that went out of bounds, keeping the clock intact and giving Jefferson the ball on the Cougars side
- The Rams set a screen by Jeremiah Dorsey for Sanoh. Thomas-McClain, who was taking the inbound, threw it up to the 6'11 junior. Sanoh grabbed the ball and quickly shot it at the net as time expired. The ball fell in the net as the horn sounded, making the basket good and elevating the Rams to an 84-82 win
- Caldwell had the better shooting percentage on the floor against Jefferson as the Cougars shot 61.5% while the Rams were 54.5% on the court. Jefferson went 5-of-9 from three, outpacing Caldwell as they only went 16.7% from beyond the arc
- Bates and Dorsey each had nine points apiece in the quarter. Brendan Mykalcio added five while Shane Cercone scored four points. Melvin Evans led Caldwell as he scored 22 of his career-high 30 points in the second half
TEAM STATS
FG: 29-of-54 (53.7%)
3PT: 13-of-27 (48.1%)
FT: 13-of-17 (76.5%)
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
Alex Bates IV: 19 points on 7-of-8 shooting (4-5 3PT), 1-2 FT, 4 rebounds
Jeremiah Dorsey: 16 points on 5-of-11 shooting (1-5 3PT), 5-5 FT
Isaiah Thomas-McClain: 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting )4-7 3PT), 1-3 FT, 5 rebounds, 6 assists
Shane Cercone: 10 points on 3-of-7 shooting (2-4 3PT), 2-2 FT, 5 rebounds, 3 assists
UP NEXT
Jefferson will stay on the road as they head to Wilmington, Del. to take on Goldey-Beacom College on Wednesday, January 14 at 8 p.m. for CACC competition.
