ATHENS, Tenn. - CIU men's basketball continued their hot start to the season on Saturday, as two late free throws from Darrian Oates sealed the Rams' 70-67 win over Tennessee Wesleyan. CIU stays unbeaten in the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC), moving 5-1 overall and 4-0 in AAC action. 

CIU started the game on a 6-0 run capped by DiAnthony Heathcock's finish, but the Bulldogs would settle in to regain the advantage 10-9 just before the 13:00 minute mark. The Rams battled back to take their largest lead of the half, 33-24, on a Bryce Causey lay-in with 2:06 remaining and then nurse a 35-29 advantage into the break. 

The lead changed hands throughout the second half, but CIU found themselves in a 61-54 hole with just over five minutes left in the contest. However, 3-pointers from Will Kelly and Reid Warga made up the difference, and a dunk from Heathcock spurred the Rams forward as CIU regained the advantage with 1:52 left. The Bulldogs cut the deficit down to just one (68-67), but two stops and a pair of free throws on the game's final three possessions gave the Rams the victory. 

Oates (18 points) and Christian Howard (11 points) were the only two Rams in double-figure scoring as both Howard and Oates collected six rebounds. Jalen Brinson scored nine points, while Heathcock contributed seven points and seven rebounds to the CIU effort.

Will Kelly and Brandon Hunt brought a spark off the bench as Kelly scored six points on a three and an and-one. Hunt tallied nine points, going 4-for-4 from the line. 

What Coach Tony Stockman is saying: "Definitely not the prettiest game we have played this season. We need to take care of the ball better than we did tonight; even though we won, we can't be content with 15 turnovers. On a positive note, we proved again how deep of a team this is. It is great to see guys come off the bench and play well."

Up Next: CIU returns to Columbia to host Bluefield (Va.) on Tuesday, Nov. 21, at 7:30 p.m. EST.