CLINTON, Iowa - Junior guard Devin Ehrich of Thomson, Ill., scored 15 of his team-high 17 points in the first half and the Ashford University (1-0, 0-0 MCC) men's basketball team cruised to an 88-64 victory to open the season against Crossroads College (0-2) on Tuesday.

Sophomore forward Peter Tanzillo of Kewanee, Ill., added a double-double in a reserve role with 10 points and 10 rebounds while sophomore Matthias Burns of Chicago chipped in with 14 points and eight rebounds.

Senior guards and team captains Byron Emerson of Rockford, Ill., and Daniel Joiner of West Chicago, Ill., each scored eight points.

The Saints began their 14th season under Head Coach Andy Eberhart in Kehl Arena and welcomed the Knights of Crossroads, coming off a season-opening loss to Midwest Collegiate Conference opponent Mt. Mercy College on Sunday.

"Tonight was a good game for us to open up the season with and we were able to get everybody involved," Eberhart said. "We had some good bench play, there was some balanced scoring and everybody was sharing the ball (22 assists)."

"We have a good opponent coming up on Friday in St. Xavier and we definitely know what we need to work on and improve leading up to our next game."

Ehrich, a junior transfer from Sauk Valley Community College, made his Ashford debut off the bench more than a year removed from the court for personal reasons. He and a former teammate from Sauk Valley, Dustin Barker of Davis, Ill., combined for 25 points while each hitting two three-point field goals.

"It felt really good to get back into the flow of the game after being out for a while," said Ehrich, who hit a pair of free throws in the second half.

Tanzillo led Ashford's effort on the glass, outrebounding Crossroads, 43-38. He did half of his work on the offensive glass and sophomore forward Klynton Bollinger of Astoria, Ill., pulled down six boards.

AU's first-half lead swelled to 26 points after junior guard Mike Relerford of Rockford, Ill., connected from long range. Relerford dished out seven assists in his AU debut after transferring from Lincoln Trail Community College.

A swarming Saints' defense and effective full-court trap helped limit the impact by All-American guard Patrick Porras (8 pts, 5 turnovers) of Crossroads, members of the Association of Christian College Athletics (ACCA). Porras was assessed the game's lone technical foul in the second half.

Every member of the Saints was able to see the court with the exception of forward Mike Riessen of Wilton, due to injury.

Porras scored 18 points against Mt. Mercy on Sunday.

Ashford overcame a career-high 33 points from Knights forward Sasha Goncharenko.

The Saints will next host St. Xavier University on Friday in Kehl Arena for another home contest. Tip off is set for 7 p.m.