BOONE, N.C – The CIU men's basketball team played their second exhibition game in 24 hours as the Rams took on the Appalachian State Mountaineers Friday afternoon. It was the first meeting all-time between App State and CIU and the second team the Rams have faced out of the Sun Belt Conference this season. The Rams played the Mountaineers close in the first half but couldn't keep pace in the second, coming up short 77-41.

CIU fell behind early in the game, trailing 11-3, but the Rams would bounce back. With 9:44 left in the period, the Rams trimmed the Mountaineer lead to 18-15 on an Eric Graham layup. App State surged forward to put the Rams in a 36-23 hole, but a Thomas Woods triple cut the deficit to just 10 points with 2:11 remaining in the half. The Mountaineers took a 40-26 lead into halftime and extended their advantage after the break. CIU only trailed 66-41 until the Mountaineer reserves scored 11 unanswered points in the last two minutes of the contest to close out the Rams 77-41.

Jalen Brinson had a good outing for CIU, going 2-2 from three-point range, scoring eight points. Elijah Spalding was also solid for the Rams, going a perfect 2-2 from the field, including a triple to open the game. Freshman DiAnthony Heathcock didn't put up gaudy numbers but did have an impressive block on a Mountaineer dunk attempt. Leading scorer Corey Benton couldn't get a rhythm going offensively but still had three rebounds and three assists.

Head Coach Tony Stockman was proud of his team's effort saying, "I thought we played CIU basketball in the first half. I liked how we competed and executed the game plan. Hopefully, our guys get some rest over this break and come back ready for the second part of the season."

CIU will be back to the court after the New Year as they travel to Bluefield College on January 5th.