CHARLESTON, S.C – After playing two NCAA Division I exhibition games in a row the previous week, CIU finished up the final game of their three exhibition game road trip. The Rams took on NCAA Division I foe, The Citadel, out of the Southern Conference on Monday night and were unable to come up with a victory.

The Rams kept pace with the Bulldogs early, leading 9-8 at the first media timeout, but the Bulldogs bounced back to take a 27-17 lead with 9:22 remaining in the half. The Citadel extended their lead to 17 points, but a Thomas Wood three sliced into the Bulldog advantage cutting the score to 37-24 just under the 5:00 minute mark. The Bulldogs were able to force the Rams into a sizable deficit going into halftime, 54-29.

Despite giving up four points to start the second period, CIU picked up momentum on a tough Skyler McKinney floater. Out of the under 16:00 minute media timeout, Thomas Woods drained a deep three, but the Rams still trailed 61-34. Two possessions later, Woods sank another deep ball giving him his third triple of the game. With the 10:00 minutes remaining in the half, a nice dish from Darrian Oates to Elijah Spalding brought the score to 73-40. The Rams would then go on a 3:00 minute scoring drought until DiAnthony Heathcock finished through contact for a traditional three-point play. CIU was unable to hang around, however, and fell 96-57.

Thomas Woods led the Rams from deep, scoring 9 points as the junior knocked down 3 three-pointers. Julio Rodriquez was aggressive, attacking the rim scoring 12 points including a three. Junior Brandon Doss didn't have a great day shooting the ball, however, he still contributed 5 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and a steal.

Head Coach Tony Stockman commented on the game, saying, "It's always great to get experience against a team of The Citadel's caliber, I am glad we could make the trip down."

CIU will return home to face Tennessee Wesleyan on Wednesday, December 9th, in an Appalachian Athletic Conference matchup at 7 PM.