COLUMBIA, SC -- Carolina University Men's Basketball faced-off against Columbia International on Tuesday, November 3rd. This was the Rams season and home opener for 2020-2021. Columbia International finished 3rd in the Appalachian Athletic Conference last season and won the NCCAA DI South Regional Tournament for the second year in a row. The Bruins were ready for what could be a Regional Championship Game preview, Carolina University and Columbia International traded baskets in the early going. The Rams threatened to pull away, but a hot shooting stretch by Cooper kept the Bruins close. CIU would take a 40-35 lead into halftime. The Rams came out swinging in the second half, but again the Bruins would answer. Carolina University kept pace and had the game tied at 57 all. However, the Bruins couldn't quite keep up with Columbia International's last run and the Rams would go on to earn an 87-68 victory.

Micah Cooper and Kester Ofoegbu stood out for the Bruins in this one. Cooper tied for a game-high 25 points and 9 rebounds. Ofoegbu earned a near double-double with 11 points and 9 rebounds off the bench. This was Carolina University's first loss of the season and in the Coach Williams' era. Despite the loss Coach Williams was still very positive about the experience. "Of course we want to win every game, but this is necessary for our development as a team. Often you learn more from losses than wins so I'm excited to see how much better we can be by the end of the season. This is a great group of guys who compete every night." The Bruins now move to 3-1 on the season and will host undefeated Alice Lloyd College on Saturday, November 7th.