KINGSPORT, TENN. - After a convincing opening-round win on the road at Union (Ky.), CIU women's basketball took on the No. 1 seeded Bryan College Lions in the quarterfinal round of this year's Appalachian Athletic Conference Tournament (AAC). However, the Rams had their work cut out for them in this matchup as they ran into a buzzsaw in Bryan, who is ranked No. 9 in the country and are undefeated on the season at 30-0. CIU would keep the game close until halftime, but Bryan proved too much for the Rams to handle as the CIU was eliminated from the AAC Tournament by a final score of 97-77. 

The Rams had one of their best first-half performances all season. Bryan would go on several scoring runs in the first two quarters, but CIU fought back each time. The Lions held a ten-point lead with 1:12 left in the second quarter but managed to cut their halftime deficit to only five (44-39) thanks to a put-back layup from Mariah Leinbach and a 3-pointer from Madison Hatcher. 

However, in the third quarter, the Lions were firing on all cylinders and took a commanding 18 point lead into the final quarter. The Rams would post their highest-scoring quarter of the game in the fourth, but Bryan's advantage was too much to overcome as CIU would fall 97-77 in the AAC Quarterfinals. 

Zhani Thompson was a spark plug for the Rams off the bench, recording a double-double with a team-high 18 points and 12 rebounds.

Queeneka Howard continued to play exceptionally well of late, with 15 points, going 3-of-7 from three-point land while also corralling six boards. 

Madison Hatcher had another impressive day from the three-point line knocking down five threes on her way to 15 points. 

CIU set a program record for the three-pointers made in a game with 15 versus the Lions, breaking the previous mark of 14 set early this season. 

What Coach Danielle Fleming is saying: 
"We had one of the best first halves that I've seen in a while! They're number one for a reason, and I believe we just got outrebounded, unfortunately. Hitting 15 threes is a record for us, and we shot it very well; we just couldn't put four quarters together tonight."

Up Next: 
Rams await seeding for the 2021-22 NCCAA South Region Tournament which will take place on Mar. 3-5, in Augusta, Ga.