MONTREAT, N.C. - The road has not been kind to CIU women's basketball thus far in the 2023-2024 season, and that trend continued on Saturday as the Rams lost to Montreat (10-7, 7-4) 78-50. The Ram's only win in 11 tries versus the Cavaliers was recorded in a two-point victory on Jan. 19, 2021. Despite CIU trying to buck that trend, they fell to 3-11 overall and 2-10 in the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC). 

CIU tested Montreat in the early going, with the Cavaliers leading just 12-7 (4:32) after a Keniah Watkins lay-in in the first period. However, Montreat finished the quarter on a 10-0 run and then outscored the Rams by 11 in the second quarter. 

Watkins and Madison Hatcher combined for ten points in the third quarter to help stop the growth of the Cavaliers lead. Five more from Hatcher in the game's final period helped the Rams outscore the Cavaliers 18-17 in the fourth, highlighting an impressive ten minutes of action for CIU despite the double-digit defeat. 

CIU's Mariah Leinbach was a rebound shy of a double-double for the Rams with ten points and nine boards. Hatcher equaled Leinbach's point tally with ten points, knocking down two 3-pointers. 

Watkins and Daja Taylor each posted nine points and five rebounds as Taylor stroked three triples. Notably, Watkins is now just two points away from her 1,000 career point. She will become just the second 1,000-point scorer in CIU women's basketball history with her next field goal or pair of free throws. 

Up Next: CIU welcomes St. Andrews (N.C.) to the Moore Fitness Center on Tuesday, Jan. 16 at 7:30 p.m. EST.