Jefferson Men’s Basketball Uses Late Surge to Take Rivalry Game Over Holy Family

By Sam Bass

Ahmed Barba-Bey hit a three to take the lead with 27 seconds to go and Bismark Nsiah sealed the deal with a dunk in a thrilling Jefferson Men’s Basketball’s 88-82 win over Holy Family on Tuesday night.

In a rivalry game, the Rams and Tigers traded blows throughout the first half. Whenever it seemed like Jefferson (11-7, 5-3 CACC) would begin to pull away from Holy Family (5-12, 1-6 CACC), the Tigers would knock down critical three-pointers to stay within striking distance. Jefferson held a 43-36 advantage into the break.

Sources by Sofia Testa

The Jefferson student section cheers on the men's basketball team.

Holy Family began the second half on fire. The Tigers made 10 shots from beyond the arc in the second half, bringing their 3-point tally to 17 on the game. HFU began the half on a 13-5 run to take the lead, eventually growing that lead to 11. Jefferson slowly clawed back, tying the game at 75 late in the game. The contest featured six lead changes and four ties.

Up by three, Antonin Kemkeng converted on two free throws to give Jefferson an 83-78 advantage. Kemkeng also reached 1,000 career points on that trip to the charity stripe.

Source by Sofia Testa

Kemkeng reached 1,000 career points in last night's game.

After a Holy Family uncontested layup brought the score back within three, Ahmed Barba-Bey hit a deep three to all but seal the win for the Rams. HFU knocked down two free throws to cut the lead to four, and Timko, who was 10-11 from the line in the game, missed both attempts on the other end of the floor.

With less than 10 seconds to go, Holy Family rushed down the floor hoping for a miracle. However, in a game where the crowd was very animated, a Jefferson steal led to an Nsiah dunk that brought the house down. The jam increased the lead to six, holding for a final score of 88-82.

Source by Sofia Testa

Nsiah dunks the ball to seal the win for the Rams.

Timko and Kemkeng led all scorers with 25 apiece, including 15-19 shooting from the line combined. Barba-Bey contributed 16 in a game-high 39 minutes, and Nsiah added 10 points and eight rebounds of his own. For Holy Family, Aamir Hurst led the way with 22 and 5 boards.

The Rams hit the road for their next two, starting with a trip to Orangeburg to square off with Dominican (N.Y.) Thursday evening. Their next home contest is another rivalry matchup, playing host to Chestnut Hill on Tuesday, February 6 at 8 p.m.