ATHENS, TENN. - CIU women's basketball finished off an action-packed week with a road trip to take on Tennessee Wesleyan University on Saturday afternoon. The Bulldogs took a quick lead and held onto this for the remainder of the contest. The Rams pushed back but ultimately fell 76-36 to bring their overall record to 1-5, and 1-4 in Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) play. 

The Bulldogs went on a 15-0 run to start the first quarter before Mariah Leinbach got the Rams on the board with a jump shot. Virginia Shorts added two more (2:17), and Leinbach added another just seconds before the end of the first quarter to bring the score to 21-5. Keniah Watkins and Leinbach slowly chipped away at the Bulldogs' lead (29-12) before Alayna Watkins added two of her own, but the Rams trailed 33-14 going into the intermission. 

Watkins added three for CIU quickly into the third quarter, followed by another triple from Leinbach (36-20). Leinbach, Aubrielle Harris, and Watkins combined for seven more points to bring the score to 50-27 before the final quarter. Leinbach added two from the charity stripe (8:54) and another two from a jump shot to cut the Bulldog's advantage to 26. Watkins downed a triple with 17 seconds remaining, but it was not enough to close the gap as the Rams fell 76-36. 

Leinbach was the only Ram in double digits with 17 points, followed by Watkins with eight and Harris with six. Watkins led the way on the glass with six rebounds, while Leinbach grabbed five.