For the second year in a row, the Men's Basketball team will host the NCCAA South Region Tournament. This year the Rams will welcome Carver College as well as Piedmont International University to the Moore Fitness Center. The semi-final game will take place at 7 pm on Friday, March 8 with the championship to follow on Saturday, March 9 at 4 pm.
The Rams and Bruins will face off in the semi-final game on Friday at 7 pm. While the Cougars wait for the winner in the championship game on Saturday at 4 pm. The winner of the championship game will receive an automatic berth into the NCCAA National Tournament in Winona Lake, Indiana.
Team Records:
Columbia International: 15-14
Carver College: 0-19
Piedmont International: 11-16
Tournament Schedule:
Friday, March 8 - #3 Piedmont International vs. Columbia International, 7 pm
Saturday, March 9 - PIU vs. CIU winner vs. #1 Carver College, 4 pm
Ticket Information:
Adults: $5
Students: $3 (5 years old - college)
Season Review:
Columbia International:Â The Rams opened the year with a win over Piedmont International, but then fell in three straight games. Over the next four games the Rams would go 3-1 picking up two conference wins and an upset win over NCAA Divison II North Greenville University. The Rams closed out the first semester with two back-to-back wins. The first two weeks of January were great for the Rams as they went 4-1 and upset Montreat College. The final month saw the Rams go back and forth as they won three in a row, but then lost 4 in a row. However, the Rams won their final regular season game against Point University before falling in the conference tournament to Montreat College.
Carver College:Â The Cougars played a lot of NCAA Divison I and Division II schools this year as well as NAIA schools. The Cougars come into the tournament with an overall record of 0-19, but have battled against teams like Talladega College and Piedmont International. The Cougars fell in their final regular season game against Piedmont by the final score of 58-50
Piedmont International:Â The Bruins opened the year going 2-2 with wins over Johnson & Wales and Warren Wilson. The Bruins would then go on a three game losing streak in the middle of November before beating Webber International. The Bruins would close out December going 1-2. The new year started off right for them with a win over Bluefield College. Over the next two months, the Bruins would go back and forth in the win and loss column. The Bruins fell in their final regular season game on the road against Bluefield State, 81-65.
Inside the Box Scores:
Columbia International: Over the year the Rams averaged 81.3 points per game and hit about 10 threes a game...The Rams had four players average double figure points on the year...Corey Benton led the way averaging 16.1 points, Jeff McIlwain averaged 12 points, Arthur Pearson averaged 14.4 points and Eric Graham averaged 10.6...Corey Benton also led the way with threes as he hit 63 on the years with Damian Hurta and Eric Graham hitting 57 and 51 threes a piece...Jeff McIlwain led the Rams on the boards as he had 210 on the year and averaged 8.1 a game
Carver College: The Cougars averaged 51.7 points per game and gave up an average of 86.4 a game...The Cougars had two players finish the season averaging double figures with Jalan Strong averaging 13.8 a game and Antonio Gardner averaging 10 points a game...Rayford Washington led the way for the Cougars beyond the arc with 20 threes all season...Antonio Gardner led the Cougars in rebounds with 98 as well as assists with 38
Piedmont International: On the year the Bruins averaged 78.5 points a game and hit 212 threes on the year...The Bruins had three players average double figure scoring with Tamir Glenn leading the way with 17.4 points a game...Tamir Glenn also led the Bruins with 68 threes...Tamir Glenn, Colton Bishop and Kendall Oliver all had over 100 rebounds on the year...The Bruins scored a season high 122 points against Regent University on February 4.
How to Follow:
The tournament can be watched live on the CIU RamsÂ
YouTube page and you can stay to date through the CIU RamsÂ
Twitter page.
Â
