Sara Tamoun scored 18 of her 21 points in the second half Wednesday night as the Chestnut Hill College Women's Basketball team led for all but ten seconds in the final two quarters en route to a 68-61 win over Jefferson University to clinch a home playoff game in the upcoming Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Championship Tournament.
The Griffins sweep the season series against the Rams for the first time since the 2021-22 season and improve to 12-7 in CACC games and 15-12 overall. The Rams finish their regular season at 11-9 in league play and 17-11 overall.
Chestnut Hill will face either Jefferson or Post University in the quarterfinal round at 6p.m. on March 3 at Sorgenti Arena depending upon the outcome of Saturday's regular season finales.
Tamoun's 21 points led the team. The senior small forward/guard connected on seven of 16 shots from the field including a 50% effort from three point range (4-8). She narrowly missed another double-double with nine rebounds while also leading the team with five assists.Â
Tiayo Adelekan recorded a double-double with 13 points (5-7 FG) and 13 rebounds, joining Tamoun in double figures offensively. Anahita Jackson grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds and had three assists. Tamoun, Adelekan and Kaya Mobley had two steals apiece. Sabria Mann and Tikyra Miller finished the game with nine and eight points respectively
Leading by one at halftime, the Griffins and Tamoun opened the third quarter scoring with a basket before the Rams scored four straight points to take a 31-30 lead. Ten seconds later another Tamoun layup put the Griffins back on top 31-30 and started a 9-3 run as Chestnut Hill took a 38-33 lead 6:17 left. The Rams battled back to tie the score at 49-49 before Jackson sank two free throws with 1:04 left to put the Griffins up 51-49 before the two teams heading into the final quarter.
Six straight points to open the fourth quarter, coupled by solid rebounding on the offensive glass (six offensive boards) gave the Griffins their biggest lead at 57-49 with 6:10 left. Tamoun's three-point basket started the run followed by a free throw from Adelekan and two more from Mobley. The Rams did chip away at the lead, making it a one-possession game 60-57 with 1:50 left and a two-point game with 1:16 left. Tamoun's turnaround jumper with one second left on the shot clock and 45 seconds on the game clock pushed the lead back to four 63-59. Another Rams basket followed to make the score 63-61 but the Griffins made four free throws in the final 16 seconds to seal the win.
The Rams had the better shooting game, making 44.8% (26-58) from the field while the Griffins shot 41.1% (23-58). The Griffins defense held Jefferson without a three point field goal the entire game (0-8) while making six of their own. Chestnut Hill struggled at the foul line making just 16 of 30 free throws, including a 10 for 17 effort in the final quarter. The Rams did not go to the free throw line in the final quarter and finished the game making just nine of 14 from the charity stripe. The Griffins also outrebounded the Rams 43-32, including a 20-10 advantage on the offensive glass.
The women's basketball team will close out their regular season at home on Saturday February 28, 2026 when they host Felician University. Tipoff is set for 1:00 p.m.
