LYNCHBURG, Va. — CIU women's basketball earned its first victory of the 2026-27 season Thursday evening, holding off Virginia University of Lynchburg 53-50 in the opening game of a home-and-away series between the NCCAA opponents.
Kara Twitty led the Rams with 12 points and seven rebounds off the bench, while Lily Dunn added 10 points, connecting on three of her four attempts from beyond the arc. Katie Johnson contributed eight points and a game-high 14 rebounds, helping CIU control the glass with a 50-40 rebounding advantage.
The Rams opened the contest with a 14-6 first-quarter lead and extended their advantage to 10 early in the second period. Lynchburg answered with a rally, briefly taking the lead before Dunn connected on a 3-pointer in the closing seconds of the half to send CIU into the break ahead 23-21.
CIU pushed its lead to nine late in the third quarter following another 3-pointer from Dunn, but Lynchburg responded with three consecutive 3-pointers to trim the Rams' advantage to 36-35 entering the final period.
The fourth quarter featured several lead changes, with Lynchburg taking a 44-42 advantage midway through the period. CIU answered with 3-pointers from Selah George and Yannah Seaberry before George's layup gave the Rams a 50-48 lead with 2:07 remaining.
Lynchburg tied the game at 50 with 48 seconds left, but Twitty secured an offensive rebound on CIU's next possession and drew a foul. She converted both free throws with 21 seconds remaining to put the Rams ahead for good. Johnson added a free throw with 13 seconds left before grabbing the final rebound to secure the victory.
George and Katlyn Chinn each finished with seven points, while Seaberry added five points, six rebounds and four assists.
CIU (1-3) will return to action Tuesday, Nov. 3, when the Rams travel to Greenville, S.C., to face Bob Jones University.
