COLUMBIA, S.C. — No. 2-seeded CIU saw its Appalachian Athletic Conference tournament run halted Thursday afternoon as No. 8-seeded Tennessee Wesleyan held off a late rally to secure a 78-75 quarterfinal victory.

The Rams battled back after trailing by as many as 17 points and eventually surged ahead midway through the second half. CIU grabbed its first lead at 53-52 with 13:06 remaining and pushed the margin to as much as six during the stretch as momentum shifted in the Rams' favor.

JJ Vaughan led CIU with 26 points and knocked down eight three-pointers, the most by a Rams player in an AAC postseason game in program history. Johnny Whysong recorded a double-double with 11 points and 15 rebounds, while Rhett Warga added 11 points and finished one rebound shy of a double-double. Will Kelly chipped in eight points.

Tennessee Wesleyan responded down the stretch and regained the lead in the closing minutes. CIU still had an opportunity in the final seconds after Whysong grabbed an offensive rebound and found Kelly for a potential game-tying three-pointer, but the shot narrowly missed.

Despite the loss, the Rams remain in position to earn an automatic bid to the NAIA National Tournament if No. 1 seed Pikeville wins the AAC Tournament championship.