COLUMBIA, S.C. - CIU Women's Basketball opened their season on Saturday afternoon with a contest against Morris College (S.C.). This was the squad's first appearance under new head coach Mike Fitzpatrick. Despite leading after the first half, Morris bounced back and forced a nail-bitter ending to CIU's first win of the season, 79-76. 

The Rams swiftly secured a 6-0 lead thanks to a 4-point play from Madison Hatcher and maintained the lead throughout the opening quarter. Their advantage extended to nine points (13-4) following a layup by Hatcher, yet the Hornets narrowed the gap to just two points (22-20) just thirteen seconds before the end of the first period.

Bethany Rymer extended the Rams' lead to eight points with a fast break layup in the paint (28-20), but Morris evened the score at 38-38 with only 44 seconds remaining in the half. Mariah Leinbach sealed the first half with two successful free throws to give her 16 first-half points, giving CIU a 40-38 lead heading into halftime. 

Morris surged ahead early in the third quarter, but a Keniah Watkins layup propelled the Rams to a 49-48 lead, which they maintained for the rest of the period. Alicia Slaughter extended CIU's advantage to 59-51 with less than a minute left in the third quarter. However, the Hornets staged a comeback and regained the lead at the 6:31 mark. Daja Taylor leveled the score with a three-pointer, but Morris answered with one of their own. With less than a minute remaining, Jessica North gave CIU a two-point lead (76-74), though this lead was short-lived as the Hornets equalized the score once more. In the game's final second, Rymer made a contested two and drew the foul to put the Rams back on top. A successful free throw sealed CIU's 79-76 victory. 

Rymer, a new face for the women's basketball team, came off the bench and posted her first double-double with 11 rebounds and 22 points. Leinbach padded the stat sheet with 26 points, six rebounds, and three steals. In their first contest of the 2023-24 season, the Rams recorded a field goal percentage of 36.2% (25-of-69), but the difference in the game came from the charity stripe as CIU went 25-of-32 from the line while Morris went just 12-of-23.

Hear from Mariah Leinbach postgame:
 

Up Next: CIU hosts Carolina University (N.C.) on Monday, Oct. 30 at 5 p.m.