BLUEFIELD, Va. - CIU women's basketball was welcomed by Bluefield (Va.) for a midweek matchup where the final score was decided by back-and-forth action late in the game. CIU started slow but scored 43 points in the second half, battling to the final whistle. It was not enough to overcome the first-half deficit, and CIU fell 67-60 and is now 3-14 on the season and 2-13 in conference play. 

CIU went down by four to start the contest until a jump shot from Keniah Watkins cut the lead in half (4-2). Mariah Leinbach and Alayna Watkins made back-to-back shots to cut Bluefield's lead to just three after the first period. Bluefield began to pull away in the second, leading by 14 (31-17) before halftime. 

CIU cut away at this lead, outscoring Bluefield 24-13 in the third quarter; a Bethany Rymer jump shot brought them as close as three in this period (44-41). However, Bluefield began to pull away again and led by 13 with five minutes remaining in the contest. CIU did not roll over and continued to fight, trailing by two (60-58) with less than two minutes remaining. Despite this push, Bluefield added seven more down the stretch while holding CIU to just two for a final score of 67-60. 

Keniah Watkins led the team with 22 points with five assists. Leinbach was also in double-digits with 11 points. Jessica North and Alicia Slaughter combined for 17 boards to lead the team defensively. Fouls were detrimental to the Rams Wednesday night as they allowed 19 points from the charity stripe. 

Up Next: CIU returns to the Moore Fitness Center on Saturday, Jan. 27, at 2 p.m. to host Kentucky Christian University.