BLUEFIELD, Va. - CIU men's basketball traveled to Bluefield (Va.) on Tuesday for their final road contest of the 2022-2023 season. The Rams defeated Bluefield way back on Nov. 22 in overtime; however, Bluefield got the best of a short-handed CIU this go-round with a 65-54 win over the visiting squad. The Rams move to 13-13 overall and 12-11 in Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) play. 

CIU was missing both Skyler McKinney and DiAnthony Heathcock, who have combined for nearly 29 points per game this season, so points came at a premium for the Rams in the first half. CIU only scored 18 points in the game's first twenty minutes, but they were able to hold Bluefield to just 28 to only trail by ten at the break. 

Both teams saw increased scoring as CIU ground their way back to cut the Bluefield advantage down to 46-44 on a Darrian Oates 3-pointer at the 8:53 mark. Despite an attempt from the home team to pull away, the Rams hung around, trailing just 57-54 after a pair of Jalen Brinson free throws with 2:01 left. However, several missed threes from CIU and made free throws from Bluefield derailed the Rams come back attempt as CIU was on the wrong side of an 11-point game when the final horn sounded.

Oates and Christian Howard combined for 30 of CIU's 54 points as each player scored 15 points. Bryce Causey scored seven points, as did Jay Pack, who contributed seven points off the bench. Jalen Brinson was the Rams leading rebounder, pulling down ten boards to go with six points. 

Up Next: CIU returns home for their regular season finale versus Point University (Ga.) on Saturday, Feb. 18, at 7:30 PM.