CONWAY, S.C. — CIU men's basketball came within minutes of recording its first-ever victory over an NCAA Division I opponent Wednesday night, taking Coastal Carolina to the wire before falling 76-72 in an exhibition contest at the HTC Center.
The Rams went toe-to-toe with the Chanticleers throughout the evening, carrying a 37-35 advantage into halftime and remaining within striking distance until the final seconds.
After falling behind 6-0 to open the contest, CIU settled in and began chipping away at the deficit. Back-to-back 3-pointers from Gray Madeira and KJ Anderson tied the game at 14 midway through the first half.
Johnny Whysong later connected from beyond the arc to give the Rams a 27-24 advantage with 5:48 remaining before halftime. CIU continued to answer Coastal Carolina's baskets, with Jeffrey Clark II helping the Rams build a five-point lead in the closing minutes of the period.
Whysong's basket with 19 seconds remaining sent CIU into the locker room holding a 37-35 lead.
The Rams shot 53.3% from the field and connected on four of their six 3-point attempts in the opening half while holding Coastal Carolina to just 1-of-14 shooting from beyond the arc.
CIU continued to challenge the Chanticleers after halftime. Consecutive baskets from Tristyn Carrington gave the Rams a 45-42 advantage with 16:16 remaining, while Madeira's third 3-pointer of the evening put CIU ahead 50-47 with 12:28 to play.
Coastal Carolina eventually moved in front, but the Rams refused to go away.
Trailing 69-64 with just over four minutes remaining, CIU continued to battle. Carrington cut the deficit to three before Rhett Warga's basket with 1:58 remaining brought the Rams within two at 70-68.
After Coastal Carolina extended its lead to six in the final minute, Carrington scored six points in the closing 16 seconds, including a basket with eight seconds remaining that trimmed the deficit to 74-72.
The Chanticleers converted two free throws on the ensuing possession to secure the four-point victory.
Whysong led CIU with 15 points, five assists and three steals, while Carrington finished with 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting.
Clark recorded a game-high 11 rebounds to go along with nine points, while Madeira provided nine points off the bench, connecting on three of his four attempts from beyond the arc. Warga added eight points.
The Rams shot 44.1% from the field compared with Coastal Carolina's 34.4% and held the Chanticleers to just 15.4% shooting from 3-point range.
The difference came at the free-throw line, where Coastal Carolina converted 30 of its 41 attempts compared with CIU's 7-of-10 performance.
CIU returns to regular-season action Friday, Oct. 30, when the Rams host Dalton State in their home opener at the Moore Fitness Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.
