COLUMBIA, S.C. - CIU women's basketball has begun to hit its stride after a 16-point win over third-place (Appalachian Athletic Conference) Tennessee Wesleyan (17-4, 16-4 AAC) Thursday night. The Rams split the series with the Bulldogs this season after a two-point loss on the road earlier in the year. With the win, the Rams record their third straight victory at home and move one game closer to the .500 mark on the season (12-13, 10-10 AAC). 

The Rams developed a comfortable lead in the early going,  with a transition layup from Queeneka Howard to take a seven-point advantage (14-7) with 5:38 left in the opening quarter.

CIU stretched their lead to as much as 12; however, the Bulldogs would cut their deficit to six to close out the first quarter. It would continue to be a back and forth contest with both teams trading baskets until halftime. The Rams would carry a three-point lead into the break. 

TWU would start to knock down shots in the third quarter and would eventually take the lead at the 5:55 mark in the third quarter. The Bulldogs made two free throws to close out the third quarter with a five-point lead. The tide then turned as CIU picked up the defensive intensity in the fourth quarter. Coach Fleming's squad held a hot shooting TWU team to just two points in the final quarter, setting a program record for points allowed in a quarter.

As a result, the Rams would turn their stellar defense into great offense shooting 7-of-10 in the final period and 8-of-9 from the free-throw line. Senior Queeneka Howard iced the game with five points in the final minute, including a stepback 3-point dagger which excited the crowd. Howard then knocked down two free throws, giving the Rams a 70-54 win over TWU. 

The Rams had four players in double figures. Zion Neat led all scorers with 16 points and seven rebounds. Queeneka Howard had an impactful night with a couple of clutch baskets, finishing with 13 points and six rebounds. Madison Hatcher recorded 12 points, going 2-of-5 from behind the arch while adding six rebounds of her own. Keniah Watkins rounded out the double-figure scorers with 10 points going a perfect 4-of-4 from the line. 

The story of the game was defense as CIU held the Bulldogs to 30.5 percent shooting on the night and 19.2 percentage from deep. The Rams didn't have the best shooting performance (37.3 percent) but only missed one free throw all night, connecting on 20-of-21 shots at the line. 

Hear from Coach Danielle Fleming Postgame:

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CIU will travel to Gainesville, Ga., to take on Brenau University on Saturday, Feb. 12 at 2 PM.