Heading into their road matchup against Columbia International University, the Eagles were poised to rebound from Monday night's loss at the hands of North Greenville University. The Eagles came into the contest looking for a win after getting off to a tough 2-9 start on the season. Their opponent Columbia International University had struggled early in the season on their way to a 2-10 record.

The Eagles would start off quickly, jumping out to a 10-5 lead against the Rams. Four early points from both Marlon Gardner and Ian Johnson helped the Eagles get off to a strong start.

Throughout the remainder of the 1st half, the Rams would rally and regain the lead, stretching it to 6 points with 9 minutes remaining in the half. The Eagles, led by senior Marlon Gardner, were able to claw their way back into the contest and knotted the score at 25 with under a minute left in the half. After several defensive stops, the Eagles were able to head into halftime tied with Columbia International University at 25.

In the first half, Marlon Gardner led the Eagles with 8 points while sophomore Dakota Pratt would add 11 rebounds. The Eagles shot 30% from the field in the 1st half and out-rebounded the Rams by a margin of 30-16. The Eagles defense was able to hold Columbia International University to just 25% shooting in the 1st half.

Heading into the 2nd half, the Eagles goal was to get off to a quick start against the Rams, and they were able to accomplish that thanks to an early 13-5 run to start the half. During the run, Dakota Pratt would add 6 points while junior Jared McCrillis added 4 points of his own. In the 2nd half, the Eagles looking for a big performance out of their freshmen were treated to a shooting display by freshman guard Micah Keener who drained three crucial three-pointers down the stretch.

The Rams were able to regain the lead thanks in part to 16 points scored by freshman point guard Micah Banks. Columbia International University found their shooting stroke in the 2nd half, shooting just over 57% from the field, a stark contrast from their 25% performance in the 1st half. Asked after the game what was the difference in the 2nd half for the Eagles, Head Coach Mark Goetsch responded, "We struggled to play quality defense in the 2nd half of tonight's game. We need to be putting together quality defensive possessions in order to give our offense a shot to win these types of games."

Despite their defensive woes, the Eagles had a chance to steal a crucial road victory. With just 5 minutes remaining in the contest, the Eagles were able to regain the lead off a clutch three by Micah Keener. Despite the late lead, the Rams proved to be too much for an inconsistent Eagles offense and went on an 18-5 run to close out their first home victory of 2018.

After the game, Coach Goetsch discussed his team's inconsistencies on offense. He responded, "We lost our way on offense and failed to utilize our best player [Dakota Pratt]. Our young players are still learning their roles on the team which often leads to shots we don't want to be taking."

For the Eagles, Marlon Gardner led the team in scoring with 12 points in the game while Dakota Pratt recorded his third double-double of the season with an 11-point and 14-rebound performance. Micah Keener added 9 points off three made three-point field goals. The Eagles out-rebounded Columbia International University 52-32 with an impressive 21 offensive rebounds leading to 14 second-chance points compared to just 8 for the Rams.

With the loss, the Eagles fall to 2-10 on the season. The Eagles next game will be against conference foe Piedmont International University on Saturday, January 13, at 2:00 p.m. CT in Winston-Salem, NC.