ROCK HILL, S.C. - CIU men's basketball knocked down ten 3-pointers as a team Monday night, but it wasn't enough as the Rams fell 91-87 to Paine (Ga.) in the NCCAA South Region semifinal. The two teams battled under the bright lights of the Rock Hill Sports and Event Center, a state-of-the-art facility roughly 60 miles north of the CIU campus. Paine will face Clinton (S.C.) on Tuesday in the region championship, as CIU finishes the season at 20-12 overall. 

The Rams' last lead of the game came at the 14:55 mark in the first half on a DiAnthony Heathcock triple that put CIU up 13-10. CIU trailed by as much as eight in the first frame but cut the deficit to just two (31-29) on another Heathcock three. The Rams lagged behind by four at the break, 41-37, after a Bryce Causey layup in the waning seconds of the half. 

CIU tied the ball game in the first minute of the second half on a Darrian Oates's jump shot (41-41). The Ram couldn't quite edge forward, however, as the Lions grew the advantage to 60-51 (12:37). CIU stormed back to bring the score to just 83-81 on a Causey finish with 1:08 showing on the game clock. Paine made enough free throws and bothered the Rams defensively in the final minute of the contest as the game eventually slipped away from CIU. 

Oates led the CIU effort shooting a remarkable 80% from the field to score 22 points in 36 minutes of action. Causey had an impressive outing as the senior posted 15 points and eight rebounds; Heathcock saw similar numbers, scoring 14 and grabbing six boards while shooting 4-of-9 from deep. 

Jalen Brinson was the fourth player in double-figures, scoring 15 points to complement four rebounds and four assists. 

Christian Howard scored six points on Monday night, which puts the junior just 12 points away from 1,000 for his career. 

The Rams conclude their eleventh season as an intercollegiate men's basketball program and their sixth as a member of the NAIA.