Saints Clobber IU-Northwest, Snap Three-Game Skid | Schools

CLINTON, Ill.--Returning to the floor less than 24 hours after suffering a loss against Robert Morris, the Ashford University men's basketball team responded well inside Kehl Arena on Saturday afternoon.  The Saints snapped a three-game losing streak with suffocating defense as AU dropped Indiana University-Northwest by a final tally of 63-34.

Sophomore guard Brandon Weston and senior forward Vesteinn Sveinsson each netted 13 points in the winning effort while a pair of freshmen, DeShawn King and Austin Uhrig, chipped in nine and eight points, respectively.

AU was in control right from the opening tipoff and never trailed in the Association of Independent Institutions (A.I.I.) clash.  Offensively, the Saints struggled in the first half, hitting just 11-of-37 (29.7%) of their attempts from the floor, but held IU-Northwest to just five makes and 12 points during the first twenty minutes of play.

Weston led all scorers at the break with 11 of AU's 27 points.

The rout was on following the break as the home squad turned in a 44.8% (13-of-29) shooting percentage, outscoring the RedHawks 36-22, and coasting to a 63-34 victory.

Ashford outrebounded IU-Northwest 45-29 which included a 16-3 clip on the offensive glass.  Freshman Joshua Little paced all players with 13 rebounds, six of which came on the offensive end of the floor.

With the victory, the Saints improve to 17-9 overall while Indiana University-Northwest falls to 6-21 this season.

Ashford returns to action next Saturday, Feb. 9, when the team makes the short drive south to Davenport to battle the Fighting Bees of St. Ambrose.  Tipoff for the third and final meeting of the season between the two rivals is set for 3 p.m.