One of the hottest shooting performances of the year for Mid-Atlantic was not enough as the Mustangs fell to Columbia International 115-106 in overtime Saturday afternoon.

In their first game back from the Christmas break, the Mustangs (3-10) started cold on the road, falling behind the Rams 20-10 in the first 13 minutes. But then MACU began to claw back behind 3-pointers by Markel Ming and Jeremy Vincent and the inside work of Joseph Hill and Dixon Ogwo. An Ogwo layup at 6:08 of the half gave the Mustangs their first lead of the game, one they would not relinquish until 2:52 remained in the game.

The Herd would lead by as many nine points in each half. But CIU (6-10) fought back in the second half, taking a 94-93 lead on a Jordan Dillingham layup with :57 to play in regulation. Dillingham again came to the rescue for the Rams, hitting a layup to tie the game at 96-96 with :13 to play to send the game into overtime.

With momentum on their side heading into the extra period, the home-standing Rams took control, led by Dillingham's eight points.

MACU had probably its best half of basketball of the season before the break, shooting 16-27 from the field for 59.3% and 5-7 from beyond the arc for 71.4%. For the game, the Mustangs shot 55.2% from the field and 50% for 3-pointers. But the Rams countered with a hot hand as well, finishing with 57.1% shooting.

Hill had a solid day in the paint, leading the Herd with 22 points. Ogwo added 18, Jeston Thompson poured in 17 on 5-9 shooting from the bonusphere, Vincent chipped in 15, Ming added 14, and Leander Williams contributed 13. Dillingham led all scorers with 24 for CIU.

The Mustangs next head to Charlotte for the JWU Classic January 20 and 21, facing Johnson & Wales and Florida College.