COLUMBIA, S.C. - CIU men's basketball played with a freedom their opponent Point University (Ga.) did not have on Saturday night as the Rams trampled the Skyhawks 87-71. The game had important playoff implications as CIU secured the seventh seed in the upcoming Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) Men's Basketball Tournament.
The win is significant historically for CIU as they now have had five consecutive regular seasons above .500 as they move to 14-13 overall and 13-11 in the AAC. Point falls to 14-10 in the conference as the league will hash out a three-way tie for the AAC tournament's fourth seed between the Skyhawks, Bryan (Tenn.), and Tennessee Wesleyan.
In a game in which the Rams had seemingly more energy from the tip, CIU did not distance themselves from the Skyhawks until under ten minutes in the first half. Christian Howard scored on a nifty move in the paint to put CIU up nine (27-18) at the 6:11 mark, and the lead continued to grow moments later as Ramiro Arrillaga drilled a 3-pointer to extend the advantage to 35-24. A late layup from the Skyhawks kept the deficit in single digits heading into the break, with CIU up 44-35.
The Skyhawks found momentum early in the second half and cut the Rams' advantage down to 48-47 at the 14:19 mark. However, over the next ten minutes, CIU outscored Point 27-11 as a throwdown from DiAnthony Heathcock capped this surge to put CIU up 75-58 with 5:06 remaining. CIU cruised through the contest's final five minutes for the 87-71 win.
CIU's seniors were recognized prior to the game and they represented the class of 2023 well with several notable performances. Darrian Oates (18 points, Jalen Brinson (13 points), and Skyler McKinney (10 points) all scored in double-figures. Brinson was as close to a triple-double as any Ram has been all season, with ten assists and six rebounds. Fellow senior Arrillaga had a season-high nine points knocking down three triples.
Sophomore Christian Howard and junior DiAnthony Heathcock pounded the interior, with Howard chipping in 16 points and Heathcock collecting 12.
The Rams were offensively efficient on every part of the floor, with 46 points in the paint while also going 10-of-17 from deep as a team.
What Coach Tony Stockman is saying: "We shared the ball well and got multiple paint touches which resulted in us getting good looks from three. Hats off to our guys for executing the game plan well. I am happy that our seniors got to experience an important conference win tonight."
Up Next: CIU will head to the AAC Men's Basketball Tournament as the seventh overall seed and await the full bracket reveal.
