KINGSPORT, Tenn. - CIU men's basketball is headed back to the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) Tournament semifinals after knocking off No. 2 seeded Reinhardt (Ga.) 82-71 in the conference quarterfinals on Thursday. The Rams have now reached the conference tournament semifinals three of the last four seasons but have yet to make it over the hump to the AAC championship game. CIU has evened the all-time series with Reinhardt at 6-6.
The Eagles appeared poised to take control of the contest early, going on a 9-0 run to grab hold of a 19-10 lead at the 13:30 mark in the first half. After trailing by as much as 11, CIU would go on a run of their own to cut the deficit down to 34-32 on Christian Howard's layup with just over a minute before the break. Reinhardt would carry a 38-34 lead into the intermission.
The game's turning point came at the 12:15 mark in the second half when CIU took their first lead since early in the first to go up 51-50 on a DiAnthony Heathcock layup. Free throw shooting was then key the rest of the way as the Rams got to the line and steadily built their advantage. Reinhardt did not go away quietly, however, as they trimmed CIU's lead to down to 77-71 with 1:12 left in regulation. An and-one from Darrian Oates ultimately sealed the win as the Rams escaped with an 82-71 victory.
Oates went a masterful 15-of-15 from the charity stripe on his way to a game-high 30 points. Heathcock collected a double-double with 12 points and ten rebounds as fellow big Christian Howard came off the bench to chip in 14 points. The veteran presence of Jalen Brinson also helped solidify the win as he recorded nine points and three assists.
What Coach Tony Stockman is saying: "These are the games where it helps to have guys who have been here before. We didn't do anything special, just ground out a great postseason win. Hopefully, tomorrow we can finally pick up that elusive semifinal victory."
Up Next: The Rams will play No. 3 seeded Montreat College (N.C.) in the AAC semifinals tomorrow, Feb. 24, at 8:00 PM."
