COLUMBIA - CIU women's basketball led early but fell behind late on Thursday as the Rams succumbed to Columbia College (S.C.) 78-74 in a tight Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) matchup. With the loss, the Rams moved to 1-4 overall and 0-3 in the conference. 

CIU jumped out to a 15-8 advantage over the Koalas on an Aubrielle Harris layup. The Rams would extend the lead to 17-12 on a bucket from Mariah Leinbach at the end of the first quarter. The second quarter greatly hurt the Rams' cause as CIU was outscored 25-9 in the second period to trail at the half 37-26. 

The Rams battled back in the first five minutes of the third quarter, tying the game at 41-41 on Mariah Leinbach's free throw. The Rams outscored the Koalas by eight in the quarter but still trailed by three 53-50 heading into the final period. CIU snagged the lead back in the fourth quarter 61-60 on a Keniah Watkins finish (5:56). However, CIU was unable to cling to the advantage down the stretch as the Koals pulled out a 4-point win.

The AAC's second-leading scorer, Leinbach, poured in 26 points on 8-of-19 shooting from the field and 10-of-13 shooting from the foul line. Leinbach tallied a double-double with ten rebounds.

Harris and Daja Taylor each scored 14 points, while Harris grabbed seven boards. Bethany Rymer was the Rams third player in double-figures with 15 points. Watkins led the Rams in rebounding with eight.

Up Next: CIU will head to Tennessee Wesleyan on Saturday, Nov. 18, for a battle with the Bulldogs at 2:00 p.m. EST.