MILWAUKEE, Wis. -- The Indiana University Northwest held off a strong Cardinal Stritch rally late in the second half as the RedHawks picked up a tough Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference road victory, 72-65, Tuesday.

RECORDS
Indiana Northwest (8-3, 4-2 CCAC) | Cardinal Stritch (3-8, 1-5 CCAC)

IU NORTHWEST LEADERS
Points: Jerron Tatum (20), Brian Hernandez (18), Jared Johnson (18)
Rebounds: Marshaud Watkins (12)
Assists: Jared Johnson (5)
Blocks: Jared Johnson (2)
Steals: Jerron Tatum (3)

HALF BREAKDOWN
1st Half: IU Northwest 37, Cardinal Stritch 31
2nd Half: IU Northwest 35, Cardinal Stritch 34
Final Score: IU Northwest 72, Cardinal Stritch 65

GAME RECAP
Jerron Tatum gave IU Northwest a quick 7-3 lead after making a three-pointer but Cardinal Stritch responded with a three of their own. The RedHawks led 15-12 with 15:22 on the clock then went on an 11-3 run capped off by Jason Peace's second chance effort to give IU Northwest a 26-15 lead.

Cardinal Stritch responded with a 7-0 run of their own to make it 26-22 RedHawks. IU Northwest responded right away with an 8-0 run after a pair of baskets by Tatum, Marshaud Watkins and Tromon Weston made it 34-22 with 5:31 left before the break.

Jared Johnson made it 37-28 with under a minute left. The Wolves hit a three with seconds remaining to make it 37-31 IU Northwest at the break.

Both teams traded baskets to start the second half. Johnson made a pair at the line to give the RedHawks a 44-33 advantage with 18:18 left in the game. 

Cardinal Stritch responded with an 11-0 run to tie it at 44-all. Tatum was able to put a stop to the Wolves run by making a three-pointer to give the RedHawks a 47-44 lead with 14:45 remaining.

The Wolves responded with a basket then Peace and Johnson hit back-to-back buckets to make it 51-46. Cardinal Stritch grabbed their first lead of the game after a 6-0 spurt put them ahead 52-51 at the 10:28 mark. 

Larry Lynch quickly gave the RedHawks back the lead (57-54) with eight minutes left. Cardinal Stritch responded to tie it with a three-pointer. 

Johnson hit a pair of key shots late in the game then Tatum hit another three to make it 64-61 RedHawks with 4:23 remaining. Brian Hernandez hit clutch free throws late in the game to secure the victory as the junior went 6-7 at the line including a huge and-one that he converted on with 2:34 remaining. 

Hernandez scored the last eight points for IU Northwest to close out the game. The RedHawks won the contest 72-65.

UP NEXT
IU Northwest will be back in action Saturday, December 11 as the RedHawks travel to take on fellow IU school Indiana University South Bend with game time scheduled for 2 p.m. CT.