Basketball Falls 76-70 to CIU

Columbia, South Carolina- The Brenau basketball team fell in a close loss to Columbia International (S.C.) University 76-70 in an Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) contest on Wednesday.

After a competitive first quarter, the Golden Tigers found themselves down 17-15 going into the second period. In the second quarter, Brenau outscored the host Rams 17-10 as senior Tyleia Williams and sophomore Kayla Stafford combined for eleven points to help give their squad a 32-27 halftime lead.

Turnovers plagued the Golden Tigers in the third quarter as the team allowed CIU to go on a 14-2 run to start the period and take a 41-35 lead. After sophomore Jill Pittman made three free throws after being fouled on a three-point attempt, senior Katherine Fourie nailed a deep three pointer to help Brenau regain the lead 49-48 going into the final stanza. 

The fourth quarter saw five lead changes and four ties as both teams battled down the stretch. With 1:27 left in the game, junior Nyla Moore hit a layup to get within two points at 72-70, but Brenau was unable to overcome the deficit in the final minute to take the loss. 

Williams, Moore and Pittman each tallied 13 points, while Stafford posted 9 points and 14 rebounds.

CIU’s Hannah Wilkerson led all scorers with 23 points.

Brenau (3-5 overall, 2-5 AAC) next hosts St. Andrews (N.C.) University (1-8 overall, 1-6 AAC) in an Appalachian Athletic Conference on Saturday at 2:00 pm.