COLUMBIA, S.C. - CIU women's basketball took a short trip down the road to face off against cross-town rival Columbia College (S.C.) for one of their last regular season games. CIU had won the last three matchups with the Koalas, but tonight fell 83-81. The Rams are now 13-13 on the season and 12-10 in conference play. 

CIU quickly took the lead and held onto it for the first ten minutes of the contest. The Rams outscored the Koalas 24-16 in the first period, with 11 coming from the hands of Hannah Wilkerson. However, despite a solid first quarter, CIU's offense slowed down in the second, allowing Columbia to close the gap to just one point before the half (38-37). 

The Koalas took the lead quickly in the third, extending it by as much as eight points before CIU took the advantage back at the 2:51 mark. They held onto this for the remainder of the period to lead by four (59-55) before the third quarter horn. Unfortunately, Columbia took control of the game with seven minutes remaining and kept the lead for the remainder of the contest. Late fouls from the Rams allowed the Koalas to extend their lead, and despite a late three from Jaylyn Twitty, the Rams ultimately succumbed by two. 

Wilkerson carried the Rams' offense tonight with a season-high of 27 points. Zhani Thompson and Queeneka Howard dropped 12 points each, and Howard grabbed seven rebounds. Mariah Leinbach also found herself in double-digits tonight with ten points, and Tearra Cook continues to be strong on the glass with nine rebounds. Despite the loss, the Rams had solid offensive production, shooting 32-of-70 (45.7%) from the field and tying their season-high of 81 points. 

Up Next: CIU hits the road for the last time in the regular season to tip off against Union College on Saturday, Feb. 11, at 2 PM.