Box Score ELMHURST, Ill. - The Elmhurst College women's basketball team suffered its fourth straight loss and saw its conference tournament aspirations take a hit in a 72-56 loss to Carthage College.

Leading by one midway through the second half, Carthage (18-6, 9-4 CCIW) used a 10-0 run over 2:30 to blow the game open, grabbing an 11-point cushion with seven minutes remaining. Elmhurst (16-8, 7-6 CCIW) never recovered, coming no closer than a nine-point deficit for the remainder of the game as Carthage pulled away for a 16-point win.

Both teams struggled to score in the opening half. Elmhurst carried a 20-19 lead into the locker room at halftime after the Lady Reds' Haley Stercic knocked down a three-pointer at the buzzer.

The two teams traded buckets for the opening 10 minutes of the second half, before Carthage started it's 10-0 run. After Elmhurst had tied the score at 41-41 with 10:39 remaining, Carthage outscored the Bluejays 31-15 for the remainder of the game.

Elmhurst finished the contest shooting 40.4 percent (21-of-52) from the field, including 38.5 percent (5-of-13) from beyond the arc. The Bluejays won the rebounding battle, outrebounding Carthage by eight (40-32).

Seniors Meghan Merklein and Megan Ney combined for 25 points in their final game at R.A. Faganel Hall. Merklein led the Bluejays in scoring with 14, all coming in the second half. Ney totaled a double-double, recording 11 points and 11 rebounds. Tess Godhardt added eight points and nine rebounds for the Bluejays.

After shooting 23.3 percent (7-of-30) in the opening half, Carthage shot a blistering 64.5 percent (20-of-31) in the second half to finish the contest shooting 44.3 percent. The Lady Reds shot 33.3 percent (3-of-9) from beyond the arc.

Cailee Corcoran powered Carthage in the win, scoring a game-high 24 points while shooting 10-of-20 from the floor. Diana Jacklin added 20 point and seven rebounds for the Lady Reds.

With one game left to play in the season, the Bluejays remain tied with Millikin University for the final spot in the CCIW Tournament. Elmhurst controls its own fate heading into their final contest. The Bluejays must defeat Illinois Wesleyan University on Saturday in order to secure the final spot in the tournament. A win on Saturday, would give the Bluejays the tiebreaker advantage over Millikin but, a loss by Elmhurst would give Millikin the tiebreaker and the final spot in the tournament.

Elmhurst plays at Illinois Wesleyan University on Saturday (February 18).