CLINTON, Iowa - Senior guard Byron Emerson of Rockford, Ill., closed in on a career milestone with a game-high 22 points and the Ashford University men's basketball team capitalized on a flurry in the last few minutes to take down Mt. Mercy College, 76-70.

With the win, the Saints (13-9, 4-4 MCC) pulled into a tie with Mt. Mercy (15-6, 4-4 MCC) for fifth in the Midwest Collegiate Conference standings. Ashford held the Mustangs, who received votes in the latest NAIA Top-25 Poll, scoreless for the final two minutes thanks to heavily applied defensive pressure.

"It feels good to get back in the winning column," AU Head Coach Andy Eberhart said. "This game was a grinder. We had our opportunities and we were able to close this one out with some good defensive series down the stretch."

Prior to tip, senior guard Daniel Joiner of West Chicago, Ill., was presented with the game ball from his record-breaking game on Thursday at St. Ambrose University. Joiner became the all-time scoring leader (1,531 points) against the Fighting Bees, tying a season-high effort with 29 points.

Next up on the career feat watch is Emerson, who stands just nine points shy of joining the 1,000-point club. He has a prime chance break the plateau on Monday when AU travels to Clarke College.

Sophomore forward Peter Tanzillo of Kewanee, Ill., came up big in the waning moments of the second half with a pair of emphatic blocks to highlight a number of critical defensive stops. He also had a steal in the final minute and drained a pair of free throws to ice the game.

Tanzillo finished with nine points, four rebounds, a pair of blocks and a steal.

Eberhart went with a new-look four-guard starting lineup that featured sophomore Rashad Carrington of Milwaukee and Jonathan Wyatt of Chicago. It paid immediate dividends as Carrington wreaked havoc on the defensive end with seven steals, a team-single game high this season, and Wyatt had 11 points on efficient 4-of-6 shooting.

The Saints broke the game's 12th tie with just over two minutes remaining when junior guard Mike Relerford of Rockford, Ill., penetrated the lane and dished a no-look feed to Tanzillo for the go-ahead layup.

Mt. Mercy committed three turnovers in its final four possessions and missed its only field goal attempt in the final two minutes. The Mustangs are in the midst of a three-game slide.

Mustangs' forward Keith Kuenstling had a team-high 20 points to lead three players in double-digits. Jake Cram had 13 points and Chad Underwood contributed 12 on 6-of-8 shooting.

Just two games back of first in the league standings, Ashford will look to complete the season sweep against Clarke College on Monday evening in Dubuque. The Saints won 87-63 at home in the previous meeting, the MCC opener on Dec. 2.