IW men win on the road

JACKSONVILLE, Ill. -- In Saturday's men's basketball action, Iowa Wesleyan took on MacMurray College in Jacksonville, Ill. The Tigers picked up their first win of the new year with a 73-63 victory over the Highlanders.

MacMurray jumped out to a 4-0 lead, but Jake Neubauer was able to put the Tigers on the board with a three-pointer. The Highlanders answered with a jumper, but this time, Alberto Torres connected from behind the arc to tie the game up at 6-6. Iowa Wesleyan fell behind once again with MacMurray taking an eight-point lead with 13:32 left in the first half.

Iowa Wesleyan as able to take their first lead of the game at the 7:35 minute mark when Jarryd Fernandes made a free throw to bring the score to 23-22. The Highlanders would regain the lead two other times in the first half, but the Tigers answered with a three-pointer by Brian Patterson to go back in front. IW held a 34-31 advantage heading into the locker room for the halftime break.

The Tigers came out in the second half and brought the pressure on defense. They had two steals which helped lead to Iowa Wesleyan scoring the first six points of the second half. IW extended their lead to as many as 14 points as the half continued. MacMurray tried to make a late run, cutting the Tiger lead to four points with 12:05 left to play.

Neubauer hit a three-pointer to push the IW lead back to seven points. With 8:06 on the clock, Neubauer drained another three to bring the score to 59-49. The Highlanders continued to try to chip away at the Tiger lead, but they would get no closer than seven points. Austin Banks put IW up by 11 with just under two minutes remaining. Iowa Wesleyan would go on to secure the 73-63 win over MacMurray.

The Tigers were led in scoring by Neubauer. He finished the night with 18 points, four three pointers, and four steals. Austin Rebel added 11 points and 8 rebounds and Jarryd Fernandes recorded 11 points, six rebounds, and two blocks in the win.

Iowa Wesleyan will take on Greenville University tonight (Wednesday) Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. in Greenville, Ill. IW is now 4-8 overall and 2-4 in conference play.