Box Score
WHEATON, Ill. - The Elmhurst College women's basketball team used a second-half surge to topple Wheaton College 81-73. With the victory, the Bluejays upped their record to 12-5 overall and 5-1 in the CCIW.
Lyndsie Long matched her career-high with a 33-point effort to pace the Bluejays in the victory.
The two teams traded buckets and leads early in the first half. Wheaton opened up a 24-17 lead with 5:50 left to play in the half, but a 14-6 run by Elmhurst gave the Bluejays a 31-30 lead with 25 seconds to play. Wheaton carried a 32-31 lead into the locker room at halftime after Kelly Brooks hit a bucket just before the first-half buzzer.
Wheaton (9-7, 3-3 CCIW) led 59-58 with seven minutes remaining in the second half, but a 6-0 run by the Bluejays gave Elmhurst a 64-59 lead. Wheaton pulled to within a bucket with five minutes left, but a jumper by
Ceejay Harris, and a three-point play by
Meghan Merklein gave Elmhurst a 70-63 lead with three minutes to go. A 3-pointer by Long gave Elmhurst a 75-67 advantage with two minutes to go. The Bluejays opened up a 10-point lead and held on for the 81-73 victory.
Elmhurst shot 43 percent (27-of-63) from the floor, including 38 percent (3-of-8) from beyond the arc. Wheaton finished the contest shooting 39 percent (23-of-59) from the floor, but only 23 percent (3-of-13) from downtown.
The Bluejays dominated on the glass, outrebounding Wheaton 46-33. Elmhurst had a 17-10 edge on offensive rebounds.
Long shot 10-of-16 from the floor, including 3-of-5 from downtown, to total 33 points for the Bluejays. She added eight rebounds while shooting a perfect 10-of-10 from the foul line.
Rashida Joiner chipped in with 10 points while Harris totaled nine.
Erika Schwartz came off the bench to score eight.
Megan Ney totaled six points and a team-leading nine rebounds.
Wheaton was led by Lindsey Brenneman's 23-point performance. Annie Bowen added 14 points and eight rebounds while Elisabeth Potts and Brooke Olson scored seven points apiece.
Elmhurst hosts North Central College on Tuesday, January 26.
