GARY, Ind. -- Junior Brian Hernandez led the IU Northwest Men's Basketball team with 25 points off the bench as the RedHawks were able to escape Taylor, 64-63, inside the Savannah Center, Friday.

RECORDS
IU Northwest (1-0) | Taylor (0-2) 

IU NORTHWEST LEADERS
Points: Brian Hernandez (25)
Rebounds: Jared Johnson (6)
Assists: Brian Hernandez, Jared Johnson, Larry Lynch, Marshaud Watkins, Louis Williams (1)
Blocks: Brian Hernandez (1)
Steals: Jerron Tatum (3)

HALF BREAKDOWN
1st Half: IU Northwest 35, Taylor 34
2nd Half: IU Northwest 29, Taylor 29
Final Score: IU Northwest 64, Taylor 63

GAME RECAP
Taylor started the game up 13-6 with 13:28 left in the first half. IU Northwest started to make their come back after scoring the next eight points with Damond Crosby scoring the last four to grab a 14-13 lead.

Both teams would trade lead changes back and forth but the Trojans would grab their biggest lead of the half making it 31-25 with 3:01 left in the first. Hernandez caught fire from behind the three-point line after the junior hit back-to-back threes in the span of a minute to tie it at 31-all.

Taylor would convert on an and-one on the next possession to shortly grab the lead. The RedHawks were able to get the last four points of the half after Hernandez made a pair at the line and Jerron Tatum hit a layup to make it 35-34 at the break. 

Jared Johnson opened the second half with a basket and a three-pointer to give the RedHawks a 40-34 lead. Taylor was able to respond with back-to-back threes to tie the game at 40-all at the 17:32 mark. 

Both teams would trade leads again for the rest of the contest. Neither team would grab a lead of more than four. The Trojans made it 57-53 with 6:36 left in the game.

Marshaud Watkins and Hernandez tied it right back up with back-to-back buckets. Taylor responded with a three-pointer which made it 60-57 but IU Northwest responded right back with a three by Hernandez and back-to-back layups by Crosby and Tromon Weston to make it 64-60 with 2:52 left in the game.

The RedHawks were unable to score again the rest of the way but Taylor scored three more points to make it 64-63 IU Northwest with 1:33 remaining in the contest. The score held up at 64-63 with IU Northwest coming out on top.

UP NEXT
IU Northwest will be back in action Wednesday, November 3 as the RedHawks travel to IU Kokomo to take on the Kougars starting at 6:30 p.m. CT.