COLUMBIA - CIU men's basketball continued their best start in program history on Tuesday evening as the Rams defeated Reinhardt (Ga.). The win helps CIU continue to climb the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) standings as Bryan (Tenn.) and the Rams (11-1, 6-1 AAC) are now the only one-loss teams in the conference.

The Ram's lead in the first half ballooned to double-digits in large part to four first-half 3-pointers from junior Will Kelly. A layup by Jeffrey Clark II in the final minute of the half gave CIU their largest lead of the first frame, with a 50-31 advantage at halftime.

As expected, the Eagles bounced back in the second half, cutting the advantage down to 78-68 with 8:06 remaining in the game. However, Kelly's hot shooting would again guide the Rams down the stretch as the Rams extended the distance between themselves and the Eagles. In the final five minutes, CIU went on multiple mini-runs to secure the 21-point win.

Kelly recorded his second consecutive game with seven made threes as the North Carolina native scored 31 points on 9-19 from the field and 50% shooting from beyond the arc. The Rams had three other starters in double-digits as Brandon Hunt and Johnny Whysong each scored 14, and Christian Howard posted a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds.

Clark II scored 12 points off the bench, while James Davis contributed to CIU's cause with six assists and four rebounds.

The Rams are off to their hottest start in program history with 11 wins and one loss heading into Christmas break.

Up Next: The Rams return to action with an exhibition game versus Charleston Southern (S.C.) on Saturday, Dec. 28 at 4:00 p.m. ET.