GREENVILLE, SC – CIU men's basketball played their fourth NCAA Division 1 exhibition on game Friday as they took on the Furman Paladins. Furman was the second Southern Conference opponent the Rams played this season with the first coming in an eight-point loss to the Mercer Bears. CIU would look to again stay close with their Division 1 foe but would ultimately lose 90-45.

How It Happened

1st Half FU 55 CIU 23: Jeff McIlwain started the scoring for CIU, getting a bucket inside to tie the game early, 2-2. Furman would make an early run to go up 10-4, but a layup from Corey Benton and a three from John Johnson would cut the lead to three, 12-9. The Paladins would make another run until a quick five-point spurt from Tajae Anderson would cut the Furman advantage to 20-16 with 12:00 minutes remaining in the half. However, the Paladins would explode for twenty-five points to lead at halftime 55-23.

2nd Half FU 90 CIU 45: The Paladins would lead for the entirety of the second half. The Rams would see solid play off the bench from Zack Norris, who would go 2-2 from the field. Tajae Anderson would pick up where he left off in the first leading the Rams in the second with five points on 1-2 shooting from three-point range. Freshman Rick Newman also had five points of the bench for CIU in the second half.

Game Notes

• Tajae Anderson led the Rams with 10 points on 4-8 shooting.
• CIU shot 40% from the field in the first half.
• Zack Norris and Rick Newman provided a spark off the bench combining for 11 points.

Up Next

CIU will travel from Greenville to Dayton, Tennessee, to take on Bryan College, Saturday at 4 PM.