Box Score BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Elmhurst women's basketball team battled with Illinois Wesleyan but came up short in an 81-70 road loss to the Titans.

Elmhurst (12-9, 4-6 CCIW) jumped out to a fast start, scoring the game's first six points and building a 20-8 lead just 6:30 into the contest.

Illinois Wesleyan (15-6, 9-1 CCIW) answered back with 23-2 run over the next 10 minutes to grab a 31-22 lead. The Titans scored 16 consecutive points to turn a seven-point deficit into a nine-point cushion. Elmhurst managed to trim the lead down to just five points (39-34) at halftime.

Elmhurst fell behind by eight early in the second half, but the Bluejays ripped off 11 straight points to open up a three-point cushion after Karen Senette knocked down a three-pointer to cap the run. The two teams traded buckets for the next seven minutes as the score was tied four times and the lead changed hands on three occasions.

With the score tied at 62, Illinois Wesleyan scored seven straight over a two-minute span to grab a 69-62 lead with 4:20 remaining. Elmhurst pulled to within three on another Senette three-pointer with two minutes to play, but the Titans' Colleen McMahon knocked down a jumper to give IWU a five-point lead.

Melanie Schwerdtmann hit a jumper with 1:13 left to bring Elmhurst to within three points at 73-70. The Titan's Katy Seibring capitalized with a three-point play on an offensive rebound to extended the Titan's lead back to six points with a minute to play. Illinois Wesleyan put the game out of reach in the final minute by knocking down seven free throws.

Elmhurst shot 40.0 percent (26-of-65) from the floor, including 38.1 percent (8-of-21) from downtown. Senette led the Bluejays in the loss with 21 points, hitting 8-of-13 from the floor, including 5-of-7 from three-point range. Devin Vaughn added 10 points and a game-high seven assists while Fiona McMahon added 10 points and eight rebounds. Melanie Schwerdtmann added nine points and seven rebounds off the bench.

Illinois Wesleyan shot 53.4 percent (31-of-58) from the floor in the win. McMahon led the Titans with 26 points while shooting 12-of-20 from the floor. Seibring and Shelby Jackson chipped in with 15 points apiece for the Titans.

Elmhurst hosts Carthage College on Wednesday, February 12.