Philadelphia, Pa.- It was a battle for the ages Tuesday evening in Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) men's basketball action as the Jefferson Rams needed a pair of last-second free throws and an overtime session to survive a surging Georgian Court University squad, 84-82.

Lost in the melee was the fact that GCU's Juwuan Carter became just the second player in program history to eclipse 1,000 points and 500 rebounds in his collegiate career (Keith Hughes, 2013-17). Needing eight boards entering the contest, Carter snagged an offensive rebound at 3:01 of the second half to reach the 500 plateau. The senior sensation is already the Lions' all-time leading scorer with 1,201 career points.

The Rams appeared to be in control in the first half as the home team created a 14-point cushion after a Alexander Gorton layup made the score 36-22 with 6:17 left. However, a 9-1 counterpunch put the Lions to within six (37-31) heading into intermission.

Jefferson (15-9, 10-3 CACC) jumped out to a quick 12-point advantage (45-33) after starting the second stanza on a 8-2 run. The never-say-die Lions bared their teeth and shredded the deficit by sprinting on a 13-1 spurt, concluded by a pair of Caleb Bowser free throws, to tie the affair at 46 with 15:06 to go in regulation.

Georgian Court looked as if it was out of gas when a pair of Kaison Randolph (Sr.-Trenton, N.J.) free throws put the Rams ahead by 10 (71-61) with just 3:41 left. The Lions, showing the heart they have demonstrated all season, dug deep and responded with a mighty 11-0 miracle, capped by a sensational three-pointer by Sean Barksdale, to take a 72-71 lead with just 0:16 to go.

Left completely dumbfounded, the Rams received a miracle of their own when a costly GCU foul with just one second remaining permitted Randolph to toe the charity stripe and sink two clutch free throws to force the extra session.

A three-ball by Carter provided the Lions the initial tally of the overtime period, and a brief 75-72 lead. However, a subsequent three-pointer and two additional free throws by Randolph provided Jefferson a 77-75 lead that they would not relinquish.

Randolph topped all players with his 23 points and 14 rebounds in leading the Rams to the exhausting divisional "W".  Josh Bradanese (So.-Billerica, Mass.) and Kylan Guerra (So.-White Plains, N.Y.) followed with 19 points apiece while Yevgen Sakhniuk (Sr.-Kiev, Ukraine) also earned a double-double with 11 points and 14 boards.
 
Carter, on this memorable night, secured his second double-double of the year with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Reigning CACC player of the week, Nikola Vujovic, accomplished his team-leading sixth double-double effort with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Bowser buried 18 points in the marathon match while Tony Ellington, Jr. and Omar Williams followed with 13 and 10 points, respectively.

The Lions (5-16, 5-8 CACC) recuperate and return to action Saturday at home vs. Post University. Tip-off is set for 3:00 p.m.