Box Score

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Elmhurst College women's basketball team closed out its 2009-10 season by falling 82-72 to Illinois Wesleyan University in the CCIW Tournament final. 

Elmhurst (18-9) trailed by as many as 17 points in the second half, but the Bluejays rallied to close to within four points (62-58) with nine minutes remaining. Illinois Wesleyan (26-1) answered back with a 12-0 run over the next four minutes to push their lead back to 16 points. The Titans held off Elmhurst over the game's final five minutes to score the 82-72 victory.

The Bluejays started the contest by leading for the opening 11 minutes. Elmhurst opened a 24-17 advantage with 10:31 to play in the first half, but Illinois Wesleyan responded by closing the half on a 28-5 run to take a 45-29 lead into the locker room at halftime.

Elmhurst finished the game shooting 54.0 percent (27-of-50) from the floor, including 57.1 percent (8-of-14) from beyond the arc.  Illinois Wesleyan shot 43.9 percent (29-of-66) from the field, including 37.5 percent (9-of-24) from beyond the arc. 

The Titans capitalized on Elmhurst's mistakes, converting 22 Bluejay turnovers into 35 points. Illinois Wesleyan also cleaned up on the glass, The Titans outrebounded Elmhurst 38-32 and pulled down 19 offensive rebounds, leading to 19 second-chance points.

Lyndsie Long closed out her career on a high-note. The CCIW's Most Outstanding Player poured in 32 points, while shooting 11-of-17 from the floor, including 5-of-8 from downtown. She added seven rebounds before fouling out in the final minute. After scoring just two points in the opening half, Megan Ney exploded for 16 second-half points to total 18 for the game. Meghan Merklein added 12 points and seven rebounds while Kelsey Monroe finished with six points and five assists.

Four players reached double-digits for the Titans. NIkki Preston scored a team-leading 19 points and added a game-high four steals. Hope Schulte finished with 17 points while Christina Solari totaled 14 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, and three steals. Olivia Lett came off the bench to score 12. Holly Harvey and Stacey Arlis finished with eight points apiece for the Titans.

Elmhurst finished the season with an 18-9 overall record and a 10-4 mark in the CCIW. The Bluejays reached the CCIW tournament title game for the first time in school history while winning 18 games for the first time in 24 years. The squad's 10 CCIW victories marked the first time Elmhurst has won double-digit conference contests in 19 years.