COLUMBIA, S.C. - The CIU men's basketball team appears to have turned a corner for the 2021-2022 season. The Rams have now won three straight as they knocked off Point Univesity (Ga.) 76-71 on Tuesday as CIU moves to 11-6 overall and 7-5 in the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC). Point (8-11, 4-9 AAC) held a commanding lead throughout much of the game, but the Rams would come back to get the win. The Rams have now swept Point in their season series as CIU's first win this season over the Skyhawks was a 74-69 victory back on Nov. 23. 

In Tuesday's contest, the game stayed close in the first half before Point took a double-digit lead 33-22 with 2:03 left until halftime. A fortuitous sequence of events and a Christian Howard free throw brought the Rams within single digits within six seconds left in half, as the Rams trailed 35-26 at the break. 

Point then led by as much as 54-40 in the second half before Ram's veteran guards Jalen Brinson and Darrian Oates came alive down the stretch. With CIU down 60-47, Oates went on a 9-0 run by himself. The Rams then took the lead (65-64) on an Oates layup with 2:40 left in the game. On the next possession, Brinson extended the advantage on a 3-pointer to put the Rams up 68-64. In the waning moments, CIU's momentum was too much for Point to overcome as the Rams picked up the 76-71 victory. 

Oates led the Rams in scoring with 25 points on 10-of-22 shooting from the field to go along with seven rebounds. Fellow junior Jalen Brinson also shined, scoring a career-high 20 points shooting 3-of-3 from beyond the arc. 

Christian Howard recorded his fifth game this season, where he has gone perfect from the field. The freshman was 6-of-6 on the night on his way to 14 points. Howard is shooting an NAIA best 78% from the field on the season. 

Hear from Coach Tony Stockman postgame:



Up Next: 
The Rams will travel to Tennessee to play Milligan University on Thursday, Jan. 20, at 7:30 PM.