AURORA, Ill. – The Elmhurst women's basketball team closed out the non-conference portion of its schedule with an 87-52 win at Aurora University.

Elmhurst (7-4) seized control of the game early when a Hannah Lipman layup put the Bluejays up 9-8. Elmhurst would not trail for the remainder of the game, as the Bluejays outscored the Spartans 37-16 for the remainder of the half to build a 46-24 lead at the break.
 

The Bluejays continued to pull away in the second half, building a 30-point lead after a Fiona McMahon layup with 5:26 left on the clock. Elmhurst cruised for the duration of the contest en route to the 35-point victory.

The Bluejays were red-hot from the floor, shooting 60.8 percent (31-of-51) from the floor, including 53.8 percent (7-of-13) from beyond the arc. Elmhurst was also solid from the foul line, hitting 18-of-20 attempts (90.0 percent). The Bluejays also controlled the action in the paint, outrebounding Aurora 34-20 and outscoring the Spartans 44-18 in the lane.

Eleven different Bluejays tallied points in the victory with five players reaching double figures in scoring. Mikaela Eppard continued her strong start to the season by totaling 18 points and eight rebounds, both game-highs. McMahon added 14 points and seven rebounds while Kalia Summerlin knocked down four three-pointers to score 12 for the Bluejays. Melanie Schwerdtmann and Kaela Jones scored 10 points apiece in the win.

Aurora shot 37.3 percent (19-of-51) from the field, but only 20.0 percent (2-of-10) from the three-point range.

Shannon Koski led the Spartans with 16 points in the loss. Bethany Dorringtonn added 16 points, six assists and four steals for Aurora.

Elmhurst opens CCIW play on Saturday, January 3, by hosting Wheaton College at 2:00 p.m.