MT. PLEASANT, Iowa - Senior guard Daniel Joiner of West Chicago, Ill., hit five three-point field goals, padded his lead as the program's all-time leading scorer with 20 points and the Ashford University men's basketball team won its fourth straight game, downing Iowa Wesleyan College, 77-59.

With the win, Ashford (16-9, 7-4 MCC) clouded the Midwest Collegiate Conference standings by joining a three-way tie for second along with William Penn University and St. Ambrose University. AU remains just one game back of league-leading Grand View University.

The Saints suffocating defense scored 25 points off 19 forced turnovers and took care of the ball by committing just seven.

The Tigers (8-14, 3-8 MCC) tumbled to their third straight loss, sliding to eighth in the MCC standings.

Weldon Miller led IWC with a double-double, scoring 20 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.

"This was another good win for us in a good road environment (at Ruble Arena)," AU Head Coach Andy Eberhart said. "Our defensive tenacity was there to create offense and gives us momentum going into a critical matchup with a good William Penn team (on Wednesday)."

Sophomore guard Rashad Carrington of Milwaukee continued his stellar play on both ends of the floor with 16 points and three steals while sophomore Matthias Burns had a double-double off the bench with 15 points and 13 rebounds.

Joiner found his deft left-handed shooting stroke early, hitting three treys to key a 11-4 run to begin the game.

The Tigers clawed their way back into contention, grabbing their first lead at the 9:33 mark after a trey by Jared Callanan.

But junior guard Devin Ehrich of Thomson, Ill., scored four points in a 7-0 run as a double-digit lead unfolded for the Saints. AU led the Tigers at halftime by eight.

Carrington and Joiner went on a tear, combining for 26 of the Saints' 38 points in the second half. Ashford ended the game outscoring IWC, 19-6.

Wednesday's matchup against William Penn features large implications with the winner potentially moving into a tie for first in the MCC standings. The Saints, 10-2 at home this year, host the Statesmen at 7:30 p.m. in Kehl Arena.

William Penn claimed the first meeting in Oskaloosa, 89-71, back on Jan. 6.