COLUMBIA, SC - CIU women's basketball took the court Wednesday night to face off against Brenau University (Ga.). The Rams faced the Golden Tigers last season, where they found success in a 71-67 win in their last meeting. A similar outcome ensued as CIU took down Brenau 76-70 to advance to 3-3 in Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) play and 4-5 on the season. 

CIU took the lead under a minute into the contest with a 3-pointer from Madison Hatcher. They maintained this lead for most of the first, going into the second leading 17-15. However, Brenau's offense came alive in the second, and the Rams went cold, falling behind 32-27 going into the half. 

Despite outscoring the Golden Tigers 21-17 in the third, the Rams still trailed by one going into the final quarter. Seven of the 21-third quarter points came from the hands of Hannah Wilkerson, who went 3-of-4 from the field in the period. It was a back-and-forth battle in the fourth, until the 2:56 mark, when the Rams took control of the game going up 68-66, and would not relinquish the lead the rest of the way. 

Wilkerson led the way for the Rams, going 8-of-12 (66.7%) from the field and 2-of-2 from behind the arc, scoring 23 points. The freshman also recorded a double-double tonight, grabbing 11 rebounds. 

Zhani Thompson played a role in CIU's success tonight, scoring 16 points and collecting nine rebounds. Fifth-year senior, Queeneka Howard, continues to impact the court with ten points and nine rebounds. In addition,  Jaylyn Twitty was effective off the bench, scoring nine points, including a crucial score late in the contest. 

Hear from Coach Danielle Fleming and Zhani Thompson postgame: 

Up Next: The Rams will hit the road and travel to Waleska, Ga., on Saturday, Dec. 3, to face off against Reinhardt University at 2 PM.