COLUMBIA - CIU men's basketball held a nine-point 68-59 advantage with 7:58 remaining in their battle with Bryan College (Tenn.) for the top spot in the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) Saturday. However, in a surprising turn of events, the Rams fell 85-72 at the hands of the Lions. The Rams are now a game back from second-place Pikeville, as CIU holds a 14-3 overall mark and a 9-3 record in league play.

The game's end result was all the more surprising as CIU lept out to a 10-2 in the contest's first 4:03. The Lions were unrattled and kept pace, but the Rams did take a 34-26 advantage into the intermission. Will Kelly and JJ Vaughan were catalysts for CIU's first-half success as Kelly went 3-of-6 beyond the arc and Vaughan was a perfect 2-of-2.

The Rams' efforts soured in the second half as Bryan outscored them by 21 points in the game's final 20 minutes. Notably, the Lion's first lead of the game did not come until the 4:36 mark in the second frame as a 3-pointer put Bryan up 63-62. The Lions quickly turned the minuscule advantage into a 13-point win.

Vaughan and Kelly each had 22 points on the evening off of six 3-pointers a piece. The duo accounted for all 12 of CIU's triples Saturday evening.

CIU saw inspired play from two of their forwards as Johnny Whysong pulled down 11 rebounds, and Christian Howard scored 16 points.

The Rams continue to lead the AAC in 3PT% as CIU went 50% from beyond the arc versus Bryan.

Up Next: CIU travels to St. Andrews University in Laurinburg, N.C., on Wednesday, Jan. 29, with a start time scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.