DAYTON, TN – The CIU men's basketball team had a quick turnaround Saturday, after playing Furman University the night before; the Rams went up against Bryan College just 18 hours later. The Rams entered the contest coming off their first AAC win of the season over Kentucky Christain University, while Bryan College went into the night off a win over Truett-McConnell University. CIU would only trail by two points at halftime but would ultimately fall 74-62 to the Lions.

How It Happened 

1st Half BC 20 CIU 28: Sophomore Eric Graham would score seven of the Rams first nine points to put CIU up 9-6, 3:00 minutes into the contest. Halfway through the half, however, the Rams would find themselves trailing 16-13 until a Syvon Holland traditional three-point play would once again bring the teams even. The Lions would pull ahead, heading towards the end of the half, 29-24. After a free throw from the Bryan, Jeff McIlwain and Skyler McKinney scored inside for the Rams, bringing the Lion advantage to 30-28 heading into halftime.

2nd Half BC 74 CIU 62: The Lions started the half on an 8-0 run to take a ten-point lead. Skyler McKinney and Darian Oates would bring the Rams back within striking distance, after a three from McKinney and a layup from Oates cut the lead back to five. However, every time the Rams would get close, the Lions would pull away until finally, a three from John Johnson would bring the score to 55-50 with 7:00 minutes remaining. Johnson would end up scoring a plethora of points down the stretch, but the Lions would outlast the Rams, 74-62.

Game Notes                  

• John Johnson led the Rams with 18 points shooting 5 of 9 from deep.
• Senior Jeff McIlwain was two rebounds shy of a double-double posting 8 rebounds and 12 points. Mcilwain also shot a superb 85% from the field.
• Both teams pulled down 37 boards, but the Rams capitalized on the rebounds on the offensive end, outscoring the Lions 9-4 in second-chance points. 

Up Next:

The Rams host Montreat College, Tuesday at 7:30 PM.