CLEVELAND, Ga. — CIU men's basketball picked up an important Appalachian Athletic Conference road win Wednesday evening, defeating Truett McConnell 80–68 to tighten the race near the top of the league standings.

With the victory, the Rams move to 14–8 overall and 9–5 in AAC play, sitting one game back of Johnson University for second place while holding the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Royals.

CIU seized control early, building a 42–37 halftime lead before extending the margin with a composed second half. The Rams shot 50 percent after the break and limited Truett McConnell's offensive rhythm, holding the hosts to 31 points in the final 20 minutes.

Will Kelly led CIU with 22 points, finishing 8-of-9 at the free-throw line. The performance leaves Kelly just six points shy of reaching 1,000 career points. Jeffrey Clark, II added 17 points and a team-high 10 rebounds, while Johnny Whysong posted an efficient all-around effort with 11 points, 12 rebounds, and five assists.

JJ Vaughan contributed 12 points off the bench, knocking down two three-pointers, and Jackson Inman and Rhett Warga each added eight points to round out a balanced scoring night. CIU finished with 40 points in the paint and outrebounded Truett McConnell 38–31.

The Rams forced key turnovers throughout the contest and turned those opportunities into 17 points, helping maintain separation down the stretch.

CIU returns home for a marquee AAC matchup on Monday, Feb. 9, hosting No. 13 Pikeville University at 5:00 p.m. ET.