MILLIGAN COLLEGE, Tenn. – CIU men's basketball will stay perfect in 2021 as the Rams defeated Milligan University 80-64 on Saturday afternoon. CIU has now won their last two matchups against the Buffaloes as the Rams routed Milligan 79-48 last February. The win moves the Rams to 7-3 in the conference and 8-3 overall, and it is CIU's first win in program history on Milligan's home court. The Rams now sit in third place in the conference behind Reinhardt and Point.

How It Happened:

First Half: CIU 39 MU 26: DiAnthony Heathcock exploded out of the gate to score six of the Ram's opening 12 points as CIU took a 12-0 lead in the first 4:00 minutes of the contest. Halfway through the first half, Milligan battled back to trim CIU's advantage to 24-17. However, the Rams fought off the Buffalo's efforts as Corey Benton closed the half with four points to give CIU a 39-26 lead at the break.

Second Half: CIU 80 MU 64: Scores from Heathcock and Benton started the second half as CIU grew their lead to 49-31 with 16:59 remaining. After CIU held as much as a 20-point advantage, Milligan would go on a 15-5 run to bring the score to 58-50 just under the 9:00 minute mark. Again the Rams turned to the inside-outside combination of Heathcock and Benton has the duo held off the Buffaloe surge. CIU led 76-64 down the stretch and scores in close from Brandon Doss, and Eric Graham put Milligan away as CIU took an 80-64 win back to Columbia.

Game Notes:

• Corey Benton had a dominant performance as the senior recorded a double-double with 23 points, 14 rebounds, and seven assists. Benton bullied his way to the line throughout the contest as the guard went to the charity stripe 12 times, knocking down 10 free throws.
• Freshman DiAnthony Heathcock scored a career-high as he posted 22 points, going a blistering 9-11 from the field. Heathcock added to his stat line with six rebounds.
• Junior Brandon Doss was the Ram's third player in double figures scoring 10 points, while sophomore Skyler McKinney had 10 rebounds despite a poor shooting night.
• Rebounding has been a weak point for CIU all year long, but the Rams were able to pull down 54 boards, outrebounding the Buffaloes.

What Coach Tony Stockman is saying:

"It feels great to get our first win here at Milligan. This is the third game this week that our guys locked in and defended at a high level. I am proud of our focus and energy; it was truly a good team win."

Up Next:

CIU is back at home Thursday, January 14th, as the Rams host Kentucky Christian University at 7 PM.