COLUMBIA, S.C – The CIU men's basketball continued to prove how good they are in the Moore Fitness Center Tuesday evening. The Rams defeated Truett McConnell 83-74 in their final game of the regular season. CIU finishes the season 11-1 at home and 23-2 at home in the last two seasons combined. CIU (14-6) was looking to avenge an early-season loss to Truett McConnell (9-18) and despite the Bears hanging around late, CIU picked up another win as they begin to look towards the postseason. The victory held even more significance as the Rams celebrated Senior Night, honoring CIU's all-time leading scorer Corey Benton prior to the game.

 

First Half: CIU 37 TMU 33: CIU raced out to an early 14-4 advantage and then continued to grow their lead, surging forward 32-18 with 6:07 left in half. The Bears would outscore CIU 13-2 in the final 5:52 of the half, however, and CIU only led by four going into halftime. Skyler McKinney scored nine points in the half, while Darrian Oates chipped in eight points. CIU as a team hit six 3-pointers in first-half play.

Second Half: CIU 83 TMU: 74: Despite an admirable performance from the Bears, CIU's firepower proved too much for TMU to handle. CIU took a nine-point lead off a thunderous alley-oop dunk from DiAnthony Heathcock with 14:52 remaining. The NAIA's third-leading scorer Corey Benton would get going for the Rams as Benton scored 11 second-half points. Brandon Doss and Darrian Oates shot well, each scoring eight second-half points as the Rams fended off the Bears for a nine-point victory.

Game Notes:

• The most decorated CIU basketball player in program history has possibly played his final game in the Moore Fitness Center as senior guard Corey Benton scored 16 points and had eight rebounds in the regular-season finale. 
• Sophomore Darian Oates was hyper-productive with 16 points, four assists, four rebounds, and a steal. Oates shot an eye-opening 7-10 from the field.
• Skyler McKinney was solid as always with 15 points, five boards, three assists, and a block.
• Brandon Doss and Elijah Spalding both scored in double-figures as Doss had 11 and Spalding had 10. Doss tallied four assists while Spalding contributed five rebounds.
• Despite a relatively quiet game, statistically, DiAnthony Heathcock scored only eight points but had three rim rocking dunks.

Up Next:

Currently, CIU sits third in the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC), their highest regular-season finish ever in the AAC. The AAC Men's Basketball Tournament bracket will be released Thursday at 1 PM. CIU will receive a first-round bye and begin postseason play in Kingsport, Tennessee, next week. Stay tuned to CIURAMS.com for schedule updates.