COLUMBIA, S.C. - CIU men's basketball team opened Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) play at home on Saturday night with a loss to reigning AAC Conference Tournament champion Union College (Ky.), 88-74. 

The Rams led the Bulldogs at halftime 45-44 after outscoring Union 15-9 in the final five minutes of the first half. However, the Rams would fall down by ten, 62-52 in the first ten minutes of the second half after an Ervin Blake three-pointer at the 13:50 mark. CIU was unable to get the score back under single digits the rest of the way, giving up their first loss of the season to the Bulldogs. 

Freshman Christian Howard was a bright spot for CIU off the bench as the Medina, Ohio native went 6-of-6 from the field to lead CIU with 13 points. The Rams had two other players in double digits as Darrian Oates scored 12 and notched six assists while DiAnthony Heathcock scored 11 points. Thomas Woods continues to shoot well from deep, going 2-of-3 from beyond the arc as he totaled eight points. 

It was a tale of two halves for CIU as the Rams shot 59% from the field in the first half but just 34% from the field in the second. However, the game was won by Union on the boards as they outrebounded CIU 43 to 23. 

Up Next:
CIU will play an impromptu matchup with NAIA turned NCAA Division II opponent Allen University (S.C.) on Monday at 7:30 PM in the Moore Fitness Center.