Box Score BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - A poor stretch in the opening half doomed the Elmhurst men's basketball team in an 80-68 loss at fifth-ranked Illinois Wesleyan University.

Elmhurst (13-8, 5-5 CCIW) started strong against the Titans, staying even at 17-17 for the first 13 minutes of the contest. Illinois Wesleyan (18-3, 8-2 CCIW) took control over the next three minutes with a 16-0 run. The Titans were a perfect 6-of-6 from the floor in the stretch. Elmhurst pulled to within 12 points with less than a minute to play, but a three-pointer from Jordan Nelson just before the buzzer gave Illinois Wesleyan a 40-25 lead at the half.

Illinois Wesleyan opened up a 22-point advantage early in the second half, but Elmhurst started to claw their way back into the contest as the Bluejays ripped off an 19-5 run to pull to within eight points with 7:25 remaining. Kyle Wuest helped spark the run by scoring nine of the Bluejays' 19 points in the stretch.

The Titans answered Elmhurst's run with a 13-4 run over the next three minutes to establish a 17-point lead with just four minutes remaining and putting the game out reach in the process.

Elmhurst shot 36.1 percent (22-of-61) from the field and struggled from downtown, hitting just 4-of-14 attempts (28.6 percent) from three-point range.

The Bluejays' starters combined for 61 of the team's 68 points. Wuest led the charge for Elmhurst with 18 points while Taylor Baxter chipped in with 14 and Will Nixon scored 12. Pat Coleman and Nick Sanford scored eight points apiece in the loss.

Illinois Wesleyan shot 50.9 percent (29-of-57) from the floor. The Titans overcame a poor shooting performance from the foul line (13-of-24 for 54.2 percent) by knocking down 9-of-26 shots from downtown.

Six players reached double figures in scoring to lead a balanced Titans' attack. Michael Mayberger led the way with 15 points while Dylan Overstreet totaled 10 points and 11 assists. Andrew Ziemnick added 12 points while Victor Davis and Belson scored 12 points apiece. Pat Sodeman also scored 10 for the Titans.

Elmhurst sits a half-game behind Augustana College in the standings for the fourth and final spot in the CCIW tournament. The Bluejays travel to Carthage College on Wednesday, February 12.