MOUNT PLEASANT – Ashford University put together a 12-0 run late in the second half in sending the Iowa Wesleyan College men’s basketball team to a 77-59 loss Saturday afternoon in Midwest Collegiate Conference action at Ruble Arena.
The Tigers once again played from behind much of the game and were unable to complete a second half rally, losing for the third time this week and falling to 8-14 overall, 3-8 in the MCC. Ashford also swept the season series between the two teams and remained in the middle of a jumbled MCC race, moving to 7-4 in conference (16-9 overall).
Wesleyan suffered again from cold shooting, hitting just 32.2% of its shots (19 of 59). The Tigers out-rebounded the Saints 49-41 but committed 19 turnovers while forcing just seven turnovers by the visitors.
IWC trailed by 13 points early in the second half before the carving into the lead slowly. A 13-5 run over seven-minute span left the Tigers trailing just 56-51 with 9:52 left in the game, but Wesleyan missed a number of chances to get even closer and the Saints eventually made the hosts pay. Ashford followed the Tigers’ push by scoring 12 straight points to gain the upper hand, with Rashad Carrington finishing the burst with a jumper on the break making it 70-53 with 4:07 left.
Iowa Wesleyan also spent much of the first half trailing, though the Tigers did overcome an early deficit to get back in the game. Ashford led by nine points just five minutes into the game, but IWC came back to take the lead twice, the last time after a layup by Weldon Miller (Jr.-San Rafael, Calif.) made it 24-23. The Saints finished the first half strong, though, including a 16-3 run at one point, and led 39-31 at halftime.
Miller supplied much of the offense with 20 points and 10 rebounds, including 8 of 12 at the free throw line. Reggie Shipp (Jr.-Aurora, Ill.) added 10 points and Gary Rademaker (Jr.-Emden, Ill.) had four assists.
Daniel Joiner led the Saints with 20 points, including five three-pointers. Carrington scored 16 and Matthias Burns added 15 points and 13 rebounds. Ashford shot 27-for-70 (38.6%) but hit nine three-pointers.
The games were designated by IWC as part of the Coaches vs. Cancer initiative. Wesleyan coaches joined coaches across the country in wearing sneakers in support of the program sponsored by the American Cancer Society and the National Association of Basketball Coaches.
The Tigers are back on the road Wednesday night, traveling to Davenport to face St. Ambrose University at 7:30 p.m. The game will also be broadcast online at www.iwc.edu/onlinemedia.
For more information regarding the IWC basketball programs or any of the Tiger athletic teams, contact sports information director Adam Glatczak (319-385-6306 phone; 319-385-6384 FAX; aglatczak@iwc.edu e-mail) or log on to IWC's athletics web site at www.iwc.edu/athletics.
Box score Ashford 77 IWC 59
