LA CROSSE, Wis. — Ladaion Barnes scored 22 points and knocked down four clutch free throws in the final minute as the IU Northwest RedHawks pulled out a 60–55 Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference victory over Viterbo on Tuesday night at R.W. Beggs, Sr. Gymnasium.
IU Northwest (8-11, 6-5 CCAC) erased a four-point halftime deficit and survived a back-and-forth second half that featured nine ties and seven lead changes. Barnes delivered the go-ahead points at the foul line with 49 seconds left, then added two more with 13 seconds remaining to help seal the road win.
The RedHawks leaned on timely shooting and interior defense down the stretch. After Viterbo tied the game at 52-all with just over three minutes to play, Trey Steinhilber answered with a pull-up jumper to briefly regain the lead. Barnes later followed with a deep three from the right wing to push IU Northwest in front 50–46 with 5:40 remaining, setting the tone for a tense final stretch.
Viterbo trimmed the margin to one in the closing minute, but Barnes remained calm at the stripe, converting all four of his free throws in the final 49 seconds. Romello Ali punctuated the night with a dunk at the buzzer to cap the 60–55 final.
Amarion Johnson anchored the RedHawks inside with six points, eight rebounds and three blocks, while Ali provided a spark off the bench with 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting. Caleb Jenkins added five points, three rebounds and two assists, and Steinhilber chipped in four points and two assists.
IU Northwest shot 41.2 percent from the field and an efficient 41.2 percent from three-point range (7 of 17), while holding Viterbo to 25.8 percent shooting overall. The RedHawks also went 11 of 14 at the free-throw line.
Viterbo (5-12, 3-8 CCAC) was led by Colin Adams with 15 points and nine rebounds. Landon Thousand added 13 points, including three three-pointers, but the V-Hawks were limited to 22 points in the second half.
IU Northwest continues CCAC play traveling to Davenport, Iowa on Saturday, Jan. 24 for a tip off scheduled for 3 pm.
