WALESKA, Ga. - As the 2023-2024 season heads into the backstretch, CIU men's basketball further solidified themselves as a top-three team in the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) as they defeated Reinhardt (Ga.) 77-73 on the road Wednesday night. The Rams' current position was aided by a Johnson (Tenn.) loss to Bryan (Tenn.) earlier on Wednesday evening as the Royals now sit two games back from CIU in fourth place in the conference standings. The Rams now hold 14-6 AAC record and a 15-9 mark on the season.
In CIU's bout with the Eagles, the Rams would lead by as much as 16 (21-5) in the game's early going. As the half progressed, so did the Ram's advantage, with CIU leading 26-8 after a Bryce Causey layup at the first-half's 12-minute mark. However, the large lead was short-lived as the Eagles bounced back to trim the deficit all the way down to 36-32 by the time the halftime horn sounded.
CIU found themselves in an all-out fight after the intermission as a Johnny Whysong layup would give the Rams a bit of breathing room, breaking a tie with the Eagles (13:35) to go up 48-46. The Eagles tied the game again at 62-62 (5:58) as both teams fought for a foothold. CIU finally saw some separation as veteran guard Jalen Brinson knocked down a triple to put CIU up 70-65 with a minute remaining. The Rams then went 5-for-6 from the line in the game's final 60 seconds to pull out the four-point win.
Brinson served as an offensive catalyst for CIU, scoring 20 points, including four 3-pointers, while pulling down seven rebounds. Brinson's backcourt mate Darrian Oates scored 14 points, while senior DiAnthony Heathcock tallied his tenth double-double on the season with 11 points and ten boards.
What Coach Tony Stockman is saying is, "Once again, our experienced guys stepped up and got us a critical road win. As we enter the latter portion of the season, having veteran players on the court and in the locker room will prove invaluable."
Up Next: The Rams face another stiff AAC test as they host Milligan (Tenn.) on Saturday, Feb. 10, at 4:00 p.m. EST in the Moore Fitness Center.
