COLUMBIA, S.C- Coming off their best season ever, the CIU Men's Basketball team opened the 2020-2021 campaign without missing a beat as the Rams knocked off NCCAA South Region foe Carolina University 87-68 on Tuesday night. Coach Tony Stockman's team moves to 1-0 on the season while the Bruins pick up their first loss of the season, moving to 3-1. CIU has now won four straight during the Stockman era against Carolina University, dating back to the 2018-2019 season.

How It Happened:

First Half CIU 40 CU 35: CIU trailed early in the first half, but senior Corey Benton tied the game at 9-9 right at the 15:00 minute mark. However, Carolina's Micah Cooper proved to be a tough matchup for CIU as the guard would help the Bruins pull ahead 19-17 just under the 10-minute mark. Fortunately for the Rams, the veteran guard trio of Benton, Eric Graham, and Brandon Doss would score fifteen points down the stretch to give the Rams the lead back. After a basket by freshman DiAnthony Heathcock in the paint and then a fast-break score from Benton, the Rams would head into halftime with a 40-35 lead.

Second Half CIU 87 CU 68: The Bruins tied the game once in the second half, but the Rams never trailed in the latter portion of the contest. Graham and Benton both scored twelve points in the second half, keeping the Bruins from striking distance. Graham gave CIU a huge momentum boost with 9:58 remaining, with a left hand throw down on a fast break. Later CIU continued to build an insurmountable lead with back-to-back scores inside from Elijah Spalding, which pushed the advantage to seventeen, 76-59. Benton then put an exclamation point on the win with 0:19 seconds left in the contest drilling a high arching three from deep at the end of the shot clock to propel CIU to the 87-68 win.

Game Notes:

• Coach Tony Stockman has opened all of his three seasons with the Rams with a win. His first game and win as Ram back in 2018 came against the Carolina University Bruins.
• Senior Corey Benton opens the season as a player to watch both in the AAC and the NAIA as the Columbus, Ohio native had 25 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists.
• Eric Graham shot 50% from the field, scoring 16 points while Skyler McKinney had 10 points to go along with 5 rebounds and 3 blocked shots.
• Freshman DiAnthony Heathcock had an impressive start to his CIU career, gathering in 10 boards and leading the team with 4 blocks.
• CIU shot a stellar 52.9% from the field but struggled from beyond the arc, going 3 of 13 in the first half and only shooting 28% from three on the game.

What Coach Stockman is saying:

"First of all, I want to say I was impressed with Carolina University. They have a good coach, and they compete at a high level. Our guys played a smart game and defended very well. We did not shoot great from three, but moved the ball well at times and got to the basket. I was pleased with our bench play today. They had a great stretch in the second half that put us up double digits."

Up Next:

CIU begins league play on Saturday, November 7th, as they face Reinhardt University in Waleska, Georgia.