BLUEFIELD, VA. - CIU women's basketball played their first Appalachian Athletic Conference road game of the season against Bluefield University (Va.)Thursday evening. The Rams aimed to bounce back after losing a close one to Webber International University (Fla.) their last time taking the court. The Rams battled in a back and forth contest that saw four lead changes. The Rams would lead by as much as nine in the fourth quarter, but Bluefield would claw back and steal a win by a final score of 75-72. The Rams move to 1-3 on the young season and 1-1 in AAC play.
In the first half, Bluefield got off to an early lead but CIU would keep the game within one or two possessions in the first three quarters of the contest. CIU would have a commanding nine-point lead with 5:34 left in the fourth quarter but would lose the advantage, thanks to a 10-1 run by Bluefield in a four-minute span. CIU's
Jordin McQueen would knock down a three-pointer with seven seconds left to cut Bluefield's lead to just one but, Bluefield would hit two clutch free throws to increase their lead to three. CIU would get a last-second look to tie the game but could not connect, and the Rams would come up short in the second straight game.
Jordin McQueen led the team in scoring 11 points shooting 4-of-12 from the field. Sophomore
Zion Neat would add on nine points of her own at a 3-of-6 clip.
Keniah Watkins would also end with nine points, making four of her six shots at the Dome Gymnasium in Bluefield. The Rams turned the ball over 12 times while Bluefield turned the ball over nine times. The Rams also struggled from the free-throw line in the contest shooting 53.8 percent from the line, while Bluefield made the most of their opportunities shooting, 70.8 percent from the charity strike.
What Coach Danielle Fleming is saying:
"Had some good runs, had some bad ones. Tough place to play, no excuses, gotta be better. On to the next."
Up Next: CIU will return home for another AAC matchup with the Bryan College Lions on Saturday, Nov. 13 at 2 PM.
