COLUMBIA, SC – After a road trip to Tennessee this past weekend, the CIU women's basketball team returned home to Columbia to take on the Point University Skyhawks Tuesday night. The Rams and Skyhawks met earlier this month when they played a close game in West Point, GA. The crowd at the Moore Fitness Center would be treated to yet another exciting finish as Point squeezed by the Rams in a nail biter
How It Happened
First Half PU 27 CIU 20: The Rams hopped out to an early 5-0 first-quarter lead as Britney Brown drained a three to start the game. Despite the early lead, CIU would trail 14-8 at the end of one. The Rams trailed by as much as 12-points in the second quarter but sparks off the bench in the form of Lakelyn Malovic and Larissa Lee, would cut the lead down to 27-20 at the half.
Second Half PU 52 CIU 50: The Skyhawks started the half on a run to take an 11-point lead. However, CIU's Tiona Walls would battle hard on the glass and score six straight for the Rams to cut the lead to just 33-28. The Rams would trail 39-32 at the end of the third. CIU saw Britney Brown heat up in the fourth as the sophomore scored 10 points in the quarter. Brown's spirited play fueled a comeback, which gave the Rams the advantage 50-49 with a minute left to play in regulation. The Skyhawks would go on to regain the lead; however, 52-50 and a Brown three fell short at the buzzer to hand Point the win.
What Coach Elmore is saying:
"I was proud of how hard the ladies fought tonight. We had an opportunity to win at the end but came up a basket short. We will take this game and continue to improve from it."
Game Notes
- With leading scorer Jordan Sprueill sidelined, sophomore Britney Brown stepped up to lead the Rams with 15 points and 5 rebounds.
- Tiona Walls fought hard all night with 8 points and 8 boards.
- The Rams saw active play inside from Queeneka Howard, who pulled down 8 rebounds.
- CIU outrebounded the Skyhawks 44 to 36.
Up Next:
The Rams head to Union College Saturday, February 1st, to battle the Bulldogs.
