DAYTON, TENN. - CIU women's basketball concluded their Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) road trip this afternoon, taking on the No. 20 Bryan College Lions. The Rams had a quick turnaround after defeating Johnson (Tenn.) on Thursday night. This is the second meeting of the year between the two squads. Bryan got the best of the Rams earlier in the season 99-77 at the Moore Fitness Center. CIU would come up short again 97-81, moving to 6-8 overall and 4-5 in conference play. 

CIU struggled out the gate to put the ball in the basket. The Rams shot 4-of-19 from the field and 0-of-5 from behind the arc in the opening period. Coach Fleming's team would pick up the pace offensively in the second quarter, scoring 27 points. However, they could not stop the Lions on the other end, giving up 34 points. Teneea Heston would provide a spark off the bench with 12 points in the quarter. However, the Rams would still trail at the half, 55-35.

The Rams would see more offensive success in the third and fourth quarter, outscoring the Lions in the fourth, 27-16, but the lead was too much to overcome for CIU; therefore, the Rams would fall 97-81. 

Several CIU players reached double figures in scoring. Teneea Heston would lead the Rams with 15 points off the bench and three assists. Mariah Leinbach would have an impressive day off the bench as well notching 14 points on 7-of-10 shooting to go along with seven rebounds. Zion Neat finished with 13 points, five rebounds, and three assists. Madison Ferrara and Zhani Thompson would both connect on four shots for 12 points.

The Lions shot the ball at a very efficient clip (47.37%), which was a determining factor in the loss. 

What Coach Danielle Fleming is saying: 
"Didn't start well. Gave up too many second chance points. I thought we fought hard and even matched their 14 threes but ultimately a team as good as them you have to limit mistakes and we unfortunately had too many. Looking forward to growing from this game!"

Up Next: 
The Rams return home on Thursday, Jan. 13, taking on Kentucky Christian at 5:30 PM.