Box Score CHICAGO, Ill. - The Elmhurst women's basketball team overcame a 12-point second-half deficit to defeat North Park University 71-68.

Elmhurst improved to 10-13 overall and 4-8 in the CCIW. The Bluejays moved to within a half-game for the fourth and final spot for the CCIW Tournament.

The opening half featured five ties and five lead changes as North Park (13-10, 4-8 CCIW) opened up a 43-38 lead at the break.

The Vikings started the second half on a 7-0 run to open up a 12-point cushion. Elmhurst responded with a 16-4 run over the next 10:30 minutes to pull even at 54-54. North Park went back up by three on a Dana Christensen three-pointer, but four straight points from Melanie Schwerdtmann gave Elmhurst its first-lead of the half.

The two teams traded buckets and leads for the next five minutes as North Park reclaimed a one-point lead on a pair of free throws from Christensesn with 1:44 left on the clock.

Elmhurst went on top for good just 22 seconds later as Fiona McMahon hit a lay-up to give the Bluejays a 67-66 lead. After a pair of misses from North Park, the Bluejays built a three-point lead with 37 seconds left on a pair of free throws from Karen Senette.

The Vikings' Dominikque Williams hit a jumper with 11 seconds remaining to close to within a point, but Kim Schwerdtmann hit a pair of free throws with eight seconds remaining to seal the win for the Bluejays.

Elmhurst finished the contest shooting 50.0 percent (21-of-42) from the floor, including 40 percent (4-of-10) from downtown. The Bluejays were also solid from the foul line, hitting 25-of-29 attempts (86.2 percent).

The Bluejays outrebounded the Vikings 32-21 and outscored North Park 28-16 in the paint.

The Bluejays used a balanced offensive attack with seven players scoring seven or more points. McMahon led the way on offense with 14 points, shooting 6-of-7 from the floor. Devin Vaughn came off the bench to score 12, shooting 8-of-9 from the foul line. Katie Swanson scored a season-high 11 points and led the squad in rebounds with six.

Kim Schwerdtmann and Senette totaled nine points apiece while Whitney Shaffer added eight. Melanie Schwerdtmann finished with seven for the Bluejays.

North Park shot 44.9 percent (22-of-49) from the floor, including 45.5 percent (5-of-11) from long distance. The Vikings scored 21 points off of 19 Elmhurst turnovers.

Christensen and Sarah Peterson scored 15 points apiece for the Vikings while Williams added 10 points.

Elmhurst hosts Augustana College next Saturday (February 16) at 2:00 p.m.