COLUMBIA, S.C. - CIU men's basketball survived an impressive comeback attempt from Kentucky Christian on Saturday afternoon as the Rams bounced back from a midweek loss to get an AAC to win. The win moved the Rams to .500 (4-4) in the conference and 5-6 overall. 

The Knights battled early, and the Rams only led by one 19-18 halfway through the first half. CIU began to pull away late in the half, however, and led by as much as 14 (38-24) on a pair of Jackson Inman free throws with 1:05 left before halftime. CIU held a 38-26 lead at the break thanks primarily to an impressive body of work from DiAnthony Heathcock, who scored 22 points over the first 20 minutes of play. 

The Rams lead ballooned all the way out to 69-52 with 14:35 remaining in regulation on Christian Howard's layup. The Rams appeared poised to pull away, but full-court pressure Kentucky Chrisitan helped them steadily trim away the CIU lead, and the Rams only led 88-85 with 16 seconds left in the contest. The Rams were able to beat the press in the final seconds of the game and knock down free throws to collect the 92-87.

Heathcock was phenomenal for the Rams, scoring a career-high 34 points and pulling down 15 rebounds. Senior Jalen Brinson was also in double-digit scoring with ten points and eight rebounds, while Jaylon Jeter got hot off the bench for ten points, including two triples. Bryce Causey did a little of everything for the Rams, with eight points, seven rebounds, and two assists. CIU shot nearly 52% from the field and had a massive advantage on the boards with 41 compared to just 27 for the Knights.

What Coach Tony Stockman is saying: "I was disappointed with our composure at the end of today's game. But a win is a win, and it is great to see DiAnthony becoming the player that we knew he could be when he came into our program."

Up Next: CIU is at Point (Ga.) on Tuesday, Dec. 13, for a 7:30 PM matchup with the Skyhawks.