ATHENS, Tenn. - CIU women's basketball hit the road for their final Appalachian Athletic Conference game of 2021 as they took on Tennessee Wesleyan University (Tenn.) The Rams (3-5, 3-3 AAC) are coming off an 11-point win against Milligan University on Wednesday and looked to continue their winning ways against the Bulldogs (6-2, 5-1 AAC). Unfortunately, the Rams couldn't come out of Athens with a win, losing a close game to the Bulldogs. The Rams move to 3-6 overall and 3-4 in the AAC.

The Rams were down double-digits early, trailing 27-14 to end the first quarter, but a hot second quarter kept the Rams in the game as CIU was only down by four (41-37) at halftime. Zion Neat was dominant in the quarter scoring 10 points going a perfect 4-of-4 from the field.

CIU would bring their second-quarter momentum into the third quarter, holding a three-point lead (57-54) at the end of the period. The game moved to the fourth quarter that saw nine lead changes, including a late layup made by the Bulldogs' Madison McClurg, who was fouled on the play by  Neat. That play would put the Bulldogs up by one point with seconds remaining, and the Rams could not get the go-ahead bucket. As a result, the Rams fell in a heartbreaker 78-76.

Freshman guard Madison Hatcher had her highest scoring outing as a Ram scoring 22 points while knocking down six triples. Teneea Heston continues to come off the bench and provide instant offensive productivity with 16 points, shooting an efficient 5-of-9 from the floor. Zion Neat, who came off a career game in her last time on the court, also added double-figure scoring with 13 points, shooting 3-of-5 from behind the arc. The Rams shot the ball at a decent clip going 44.8 percent in the contest. However, the Rams missed out on some points at the free-throw line, shooting only 63.6 percent (14-22) against the Bulldogs. 

What Coach Danielle Fleming is saying: 
"Tough loss tonight. We battled back to take the lead, and it didn't end in our favor. But, proud of the fight the girls had, and we'll continue to compete our next time out for four quarters together."

Up Next:
The Rams will play their final home game of 2021 as they take on Carolina University at the Moore Fitness Center on Friday, Dec. 10, at 2 PM.