COLUMBIA, S.C. - CIU men's basketball faced their first-ranked opponent of the season on Wednesday as the Rams battled No. 19 Union College (Ky.). CIU's last win against the Bulldogs came back in 2020, and unfortunately, the losing streak would grow to four in a row on Wednesday as the Rams fell 78-70. Union stays undefeated in the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC play at 8-0 while CIU falls to 3-4 in the AAC and 4-6 overall. 

The Bulldogs jumped out to an early lead, but CIU would snag the advantage back (8-7) on DiAnthony Heathcock's layup at the 16:11 mark in the first half. The Rams held the lead all the way to under the ten-minute mark until Union knocked down a triple with 8:59 left in the half to go up 22-21. The Bulldogs extended the advantage and held a 39-30 lead at the break. Heathcock led the Rams in scoring with ten points after one.

The Union lead ballooned out to 16 points (54-38) at the 14:15 time-stamp in the second half. The Rams steadily began to climb back thanks to some timely buckets from Christian Howard battling in the paint. CIU cut the deficit to under double digits (65-56) on a Skyler McKinney three with 8:07 left to play. The Rams eventually trimmed the lead all the way down to 72-66 with two minutes remaining in regulation, but it was not enough as the Bulldogs closed out the game with free throws down the stretch. 

Heathcock led the Rams in scoring, tying his career high of 25 on 77% shooting from the field to go along with eight rebounds. Howard and McKinney each chipped in 11 points, with McKinney going a perfect 2-of-2 from beyond the arc. Bryce Causey scored eight points in addition to pulling down eight rebounds, while Jalen Brinson continued to distribute the basketball with eight assists on the evening. The Bulldogs' work on the glass gave them the edge as Union outrebounded CIU 42-to-33, including 13 offensive rebounds in the first half. 

Up Next: CIU will welcome Kentucky Christian to the Moore Fitness Center on Saturday, Dec. 10, at 4 PM.