COLUMBIA, S.C. - For the first time in program history CIU men's basketball played a conference tournament game on their home floor as No. 6 seeded CIU hosted the No. 11 seeded Johnson University (Tenn.) Royals in the opening round of the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) Tournament on Monday night. The Rams came out on top, holding off a high-powered Johnson offense 78-73 to advance to the conference quarterfinals.
No matter how many small runs the Rams made in the first half, the Royals hung around. Up 31-30 with 3:41 remaining before halftime, CIU finally got some separation outscoring Johnson 9-2 before the break as the Rams held a 40-33 halftime lead.
CIU took a double-digit lead (49-39) early in the second half but then the game began to mirror the first 20 minutes of play with CIU making small runs and the Royals fighting back. A scoring drought from CIU put the Royals in striking position as they tied the game at 71-71 with 2:23 remaining. Once again, the Rams turned to junior guard Jalen Brinson, who gave CIU the lead for good on a short jumper to put the Rams up 75-73 with 1:21 left. Two stops on defense would win the game as CIU advanced in the conference tournament.
Darrian Oates recorded 21 points on 5-of-12 shooting while going 9-of-10 from the free-throw line. Oates has now scored over 20 points in ten games this season.
CIU bigs DiAnthony Heathcock and Christain Howard each had double-doubles as Howard had 17 points and 12 rebounds while Heathcock had 14 points and 13 rebounds.
Jalen Brinson and Thomas Woods both scored in double-figures as Brinson scored ten, and Woods chipped in 11, knocking down three 3-pointers.
The Rams dominated the Royals on the glass, outrebounding Johnson 45 to 31.
Hear from Head Coach Tony Stockman postgame:
Up next:
CIU will head to the conference quarterfinals hosted at the MeadowView Conference and Resort Center in Kingsport, Tenn. CIU will take on No. 3 seeded Reinhardt at 5:15 on Thursday, Feb. 24, with a chance to advance to the AAC Tournament semifinals.
