ANGOLA, Ind.  – The Elmhurst men's basketball team outscored Trine University 20-11 over the final six minutes to pull away for a 67-58 victory.
 
Elmhurst remained unbeaten on the season with the victory, upping its record to 3-0 while Trine slipped to 0-2 on the year.
 
Both teams struggled to get into a flow in the opening half. The two teams traded leads five times with the score being knotted at 24-24 after the game's first 20 minutes.
 

Elmhurst picked up its play right at the start of the second half as Bryant Ackerman drilled a three-pointer just seven seconds into the half to put Elmhurst up 27-24. Elmhurst pushed its lead up to seven points at 32-25 just three minutes into the half, but Trine answered back, using a 12-4 run to go in front on an Adison Daub three-pointer.
 
The two squads traded buckets and leads for the next several minutes until an Erik Crittenden three-pointer gave Elmhurst a 47-43 lead with eight minutes remaining. Trine pulled even on a Will Dixon bucket with six minutes to go, but Elmhurst took over for the remainder of the game.
 
Four points from Crittenden and a pair of three-pointers from Ackerman helped ignite a 12-2 Elmhurst run, giving the Bluejays a 59-49 lead with 3:30 left on the clock. Trine came no closer than seven points for the duration of the contest as four free throws from Kyle Wuest helped the Bluejays seal the victory in the final minute.
 
Elmhurst shot 50.0 percent (23-of-46) from the floor, but was a red-hot 60.0 percent (9-of-15) from long distance. The Bluejays struggled from the foul line, hitting just 12-of-24 free throws. Elmhurst also won the battle on the glass, outrebounding Trine 38-27.  Elmhurst struggled at times to protect the ball, overcoming 16 turnovers in the victory.
 

Ackerman led Elmhurst in the win, scoring a team-high 18 points on a 6-of-9 shooting performance. Ackerman hit 4-of-6 from downtown. Crittenden came off the bench to score double digits for the third straight game, finishing with 11 points and six rebounds. Jalen Loving and Wuest added nine points apiece while Brandon Schwebke and Nathan Rogers scored seven points each. Weuest added seven rebounds and four assists in the victory, registering team-highs in both categories.
 
Trine finished the game shooting 42.6 percent (23-of-54) from the floor, but only 25.0 percent (5-of-20) from three-point range.
 
Only four Trine players totaled points in the loss. Dixon led the Thunder, shooting 8-of-17 to total 20 points. Jared Holmquist (16 points) and Tyler Good (15 points) both reached double figure in scoring while also pulling down five rebounds apiece. Daub came off the bench to score seven points for Trine.
 
Elmhurst travels to Fontbonne University on Saturday, November 22.