POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. - CIU men's basketball faced heartbreak on Saturday, coming up short in their first NCCAA Division I Championship game appearance. The Rams fell 89-74 to No. 2 seeded Nelson - American Indian College (Ariz.). The loss bookends a historic season for CIU, which finishes the year 22-8 overall.

The Rams and Warriors traded blows throughout the first half. CIU's largest lead of the half at the 8:40 mark, 24-18 after a Christian Howard free throw. CIU's last lead of the game came on a Johnny Whysong jump shot that brought the score to 39-38 (1:51). The Warriors and Rams entered halftime tied at 43-43.

CIU never led in the second half but only trailed 56-53 (13:20) after a JJ Vaughan three-pointer. The Warriors extended the lead to double-digits 67-57 with 9:50 left. NAIC continued to make difficult and contested shots down the stretch as they pulled away from CIU to take the NCCAA title.

Howard was a force inside for the Rams, with 23 points and five rebounds. Will Kelly knocked down three 3-pointers on his way to 13 points, while Whysong rounded out CIU's double-digit scorers with 12 points. Jeffrey Clark, II had a solid outing with eight points and eight rebounds.

The Rams shot 37% from three on the season but were just 5-of-25 (20%) from beyond the arc on the evening.

What Head Coach Tony Stockman is saying: "We had a special team this season, and tonight's loss does not take away at all from what we accomplished this year. I think we have played a complementary brand of basketball all season and did so tonight, but shots just didn't fall. I am extremely proud of our guys and the way they have represented CIU and our program."