LAKE WALES, Fla. - After struggling against Warner (Fla.) the day before, CIU men's basketball ended 2021 on a high note as they took down Florida National 70-62 on Friday in the first-ever meeting between the two squads. The game took place as a part of the Warner Christmas Classic and was the final game of the classic for both squads. Florida National (3-4) is an NAIA independent squad that came into the contest off a blowout loss against Missouri Baptist. CIU (8-5) took advantage of the Conquistador's recent struggles to pick up yet another non-conference win.
It was a tale of two halves as the Rams trailed by 40-31 after the first 20 minutes of play. CIU battled back in the second half to take a 51-50 lead with just 7:39 remaining on a DiAnthony Heathcock tip-in. The Rams then found themselves deadlocked at 58-58 at the 3:40 mark; from there, however, the free-throw shooting of CIU made the difference. The Rams went 12-of-14 from the line down the stretch to close out the game on a 12 to 4 run for the 70 to 62 win.
CIU had five players in double figures as Jalen Brinson, Bryce Causey, and Darrain Oates each scored 13 points to lead the Rams.
Free throw shooting was the story of the evening as the Rams went 24-of-29 from the line as the Conquistadors went 13-of-23 from the stripe.
Notably, Brinson went 9-of-10 on free throw attempts, while Skyler McKinney was a perfect 6-of-6 at the line.
The Rams had one of their biggest second-half turnarounds in Coach Tony Stockman's tenure at CIU as his squad outscored Florida National 39 to 22 in the final 20 minutes of regulation.
What Coach Tony Stockman is saying: "Proud of how our guys fought back in the second half, I thought we really played with a lot of heart. We had a great experience on this trip to Florida; it helped us grow closer as a team and experience a tournament environment. Hopefully, it will help us for the second semester, especially if we make the conference tournament."
Up Next: CIU will return after Christmas break for an NCAA Division I exhibition game with USC-Upstate in Spartanburg on December 30th.
