COLUMBIA - In CIU men's basketball's first-ever meeting with Clinton College (S.C.) on Thursday evening, the Rams more than handled the Golden Bears, scoring 100 plus points for the second time this season with a 110-87 victory. The Rams are now 3-0 before entering Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) action next week.

CIU's Will Kelly helped the Rams to substantial lead in the early going starting the contest 3-for-3 from beyond the arc. Kelly's third three put the Rams in 13-4 in the game's first five minutes. After an offensive response from the Golden Bears, a Connor Higgins tip slam would give CIU momentum. The Rams went up 47-25 with just over five minutes left in the half and held an impressive 62-36 advantage at the break.

The game's second half trended in the same direction; however, the Golden Bears did cut the lead down to 99-83 with 2:44 remaining. Despite the Clinton surge, the Rams settled down in the final two minutes to outscore the Golden Bears 11-4 on their to the win.

Kelly scored a season-high 25 points on 8-12 shooting from the field. The junior knocked down five triples and went perfect from the foul line. JJ Vaughan scored 15 points in just 13 minutes, while Christian Howard poured in 13 points and dished out six assists.

CIU had three other players in double figures: Brandon Hunt scored 10, Jaylon Jeter posted 13, and Reid Warga tallied 12. Connor Higgins led the Rams in rebounding with ten, while CIU was aided in the evening by its 3-point shooting, going 14-25 from three as a team.

Up Next: The Rams will head to Montreat (N.C.) to open AAC play versus the Cavaliers on Wednesday, Nov. 13, at 7:00 p.m. EST.