Men's Basketball Holds Off Second Half Surge by Cougars to Get The Win on Senior Day

PHILADELPHIA – Thomas Jefferson University men's basketball (15-11, 11-8) led by 17 points at the half and thwarted a strong second half by the Cougars to leave Saturday afternoon's Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) matchup with a 86-80 victory over Caldwell University (13-13, 11-8). 

WHAT HAPPENED 

• First half was a close contest to begin with Jefferson getting the lead early. They got it as much as 10 points before Caldwell fought back and got as close as three points before the Rams went on a 15-4 run to end the first half. Jefferson went to the break ahead by 17 points 

• The Cougars went to make a comeback and retake the lead off of shooting over 57% in the second half. Caldwell got up 68-66 with 6:45 left in the game 

• The Rams hit two three pointers to regain their lead. The Cougars cut the lead down to one but Jefferson went to hit nine of their 14 made free throws in the final 4:36 left in the game to take the 86-80 win 

• Jahmare Memphis led the team with 22 points on the day with Brendan Mykalcio following behind by scoring 18 off the bench. Isaiah Thomas-McClain and Matt McCool had double digit points with 15 and 10 respectively 

• Melvin Evans led Caldwell with 22 points as five Cougars scored in double digits 

TEAM STATS 
FG: 26-of-66 (39.4%) 
3PT: 11-of-29 (37.9%) 
FT: 23-of-30 (76.7%) 

INSIDE THE BOXSCORE 
Jamare Memphis: 22 points on 8-of-16 shooting (4-9 3PT), 2-2 FT, 4 rebounds 
Brendan Mykalcio: 18 points on 5-of-11 shooting (3-4 3PT), 5-6 FT, 7 rebounds 
Isaiah Thomas-McClain: 15 points on 4-of-12 shooting (3-10 3PT), 4-4 FT, 3 rebounds 
Matt McCool: 10 points on 3-of-10 shooting, 4-6 FT, 6 rebounds 

SENIOR DAY 
Before the game, the Rams recognized Brendan Mykalcio, Sean Fullerton, Matt McCool, Isaiah Thomas-McClain, and Cosby Napoleon as Jefferson honored their seniors on Senior Day 

1,000 POINTS 
Fullerton is now five points away from reaching the 1,000-career point milestone. He would accomplish this with his two seasons at Jefferson and two from Mercyhurst University 

WINNING SEASON STREAK 
After this win, the Rams will now have a winning season for the 28th straight season (Jefferson did not compete during the 2020-21 season due to COVID-19). This extends their streak as the program with the longest active winning seasons in the entire country in Division II. 

UP NEXT 
Jefferson currently sits at No.3 in the CACC standings and looks to host a playoff game. The Rams will look to lock it up on Wednesday, February 25 as they have their regular season finale when they take on cross town rival Chestnut Hill College at 8 p.m.