COLUMBIA, S.C. - Blowout wins come few and far between in the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC), but CIU men's basketball picked up one Tuesday night as they took down Johnson (Tenn.) 103-66. The matchup was the first time CIU (14-10 10-9 AAC) has played Johnson (6-15, 10-9 AAC) with both teams as members of the AAC. The win moves Coach Tony Stockman one away from 200 career wins as a collegiate coach as Stockman will have a chance to achieve the feat on Thursday versus Tennessee Wesleyan. 

Tuesday's game was broken open by CIU early on as the Rams went on a 12-0 run, begining at the 15:36 mark in the first half. The lead continued to blossom as CIU took a 41-19 advantage on a Jalen Brinson 3-pointer with six minutes left in the half. It was all CIU heading into the break as the Rams led 59-29. Skyler McKinney was the Ram's top scorer in the game's first 20-minutes as he tallied 14 points.

The lead only grew in the second half as a Thomas Woods jumper gave CIU an 81-46 advantage at the 10:40 mark. With three minutes remaining, Johnson recorded its largest deficit of the game as a Ramiro Arrillaga handed CIU a 40-point lead (98-58) on a made basket from deep. The Royals trimmed the deficit slightly before the final horn as CIU picked up the 103-66 victory.

Jalen Brinson was one point and one assist away from a double-double as the Ram point guard recorded nine points and nine assists. 

The Rams had a remarkable six players in double-figures as Skyler McKinney led the way with 21 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field while grabbing seven rebounds. 

As a team, the Rams shot a scorching 59% from the field, including going 13-of-26 from beyond the arc. 

Hear from Coach Tony Stockman postgame:

Up next:

CIU will be back on the hardwood of the Moore Fitness on Thursday, Feb. 10, to host Tennessee Wesleyan at 7:30 PM.