COLUMBIA, S.C. — CIU men's basketball picked up a key Appalachian Athletic Conference home win Wednesday night, defeating Reinhardt University 79–72 at the Moore Fitness Center.

CIU carried a 38–30 lead into halftime after Reinhardt's Derrick Brown hit a jumper at the buzzer (0:00) to cut the margin to eight.

Reinhardt chipped away after the break and made it a four-point game at 7:47 (58–54) on a pair of free throws. CIU answered less than 30 seconds later when Tristyn Carrington knocked down a 3-pointer at 7:24 to push the lead back to seven (61–54). The Eagles closed again to within four at 6:16 (63–59) and again at 4:45 (65–61), but CIU responded with timely baskets, including Will Kelly's 3-pointer at 4:13 to stretch the lead to seven (68–61). CIU then created more breathing room with a Rhett Warga layup at 3:14 (70–61) and a Kelly layup at 2:04 (72–61) before closing it out late.

Will Kelly finished with 15 points and five assists, while Jeffrey Clark II added 14 points, six rebounds and five assists. Johnny Whysong posted 10 points, nine rebounds and nine assists, narrowly missing a triple-double. Connor Higgins chipped in 10 points and eight rebounds, and JJ Vaughan provided 15 points off the bench.

CIU returns to action Saturday, Feb. 14, hosting Bryan College (Tenn.) at 4:00 p.m. ET.