ELMHURST, Ill. - Fiona McMahon scored a game-high 23 points and pulled down nine rebounds to lead the Elmhurst women's basketball team to a season-opening 71-64 win over Greenville College in the CCIW/SLIAC Challenge.

Elmhurst (1-0) led for almost the entire contest, leading for over 33 minutes, including never trailing in the second half. 

The Bluejays struggled in the opening half, shooting just 22.9 percent (8-of-35) but managed to hold a 28-25 lead after 20 minutes. 
 

Greenville closed to within one point early in the second half, but Elmhurst built a nine-point advantage with 7:55 left to play. The Panthers rallied back, closing to within two points with two minutes to play, but a Claire Monroe three-pointer gave Elmhurst a five-point cushion with 1:13 left on the clock. Elmhurst was a perfect 6-of-6 from the foul line in the final minute to seal the victory.

The Bluejays shot 30.8 percent (20-of-65) from the floor, including 33.3 percent (8-of-24) from downtown. Elmhurst was solid at the free throw line, hitting 23-of-29 attempts to finish the contest at 79.3 percent. Elmhurst dominated on the glass, outrebounding Greenville 49-34, including a 22-8 edge on the offensive side. 

McMahon led all scorers with a game-high 23 points, shooting 9-of-19 from the floor. She added nine rebounds and three blocks in the victory. Monroe chipped in with 14 points, seven rebounds, six assists and three steals while Katie Swanson also reached double figures in scoring with 13 points. Hannah Lipman narrowly missed a double-double, totaling nine points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Mikaela Eppard added six points and five rebounds for the Bluejays. 

Greenville shot 44.4 percent from the floor (24-of-54), but only 25.0 percent (3-of-12) from three-point range. Claire Schmitt finished with 14 points to lead Greenville in the loss while Laura Goodnight added 13 points. Taylor Paulin chipped in with nine points and Kelly Lenz scored seven.

Elmhurst hosts Westminster College (Mo.) tomorrow (November 16) at 1:00 p.m.