NAPERVILLE, Ill. – Fiona McMahon scored a season-high 34 points, but it wasn't enough as the Elmhurst women's basketball team suffered an 82-79 loss to 24th-ranked North Central College.

Elmhurst (9-7, 2-3 CCIW) led by as many as 11 points in the second half, but turnovers hampered the Bluejays down the stretch, allowing North Central  (15-1, 4-1 CCIW) to escape with the victory.
 

North Central scored the game's first seven points and built a nine-point lead midway through the opening half, but Elmhurst finished he half strong, trailing by only three (41-38) at the half.

Elmhurst trailed by six after a Bobbi Johns' three-pointer to start the half, but the Bluejays responded with 22-4 run over the next eight minutes to build a 58-47 lead with 12:54 left to play. Elmhurst's lead was short lived as the Cardinals responded with an 18-6 run over the next 4:30 to take a 65-64 advantage.
 
The two teams traded buckets and leads over the next few minutes with the Cardinals controlling the offensive glass, pulling down six offensive rebounds on one possession. Mikaela Eppard broke the seventh tie of the game with a layup to give Elmhurst a 76-74 lead with 3:23 remaining. A jumper from Tess Godhardt tied the score for North Central and the Cardinals took advantage of three straight Elmhurst turnovers to build an 80-76 lead with 2:22 left.
 
After a McMahon free throw, Eppard hit a layup with just under a minute to play to bring the Bluejays to within a point at 80-79. The Bluejays came up with a stop on the Cardinals' next possession and had a chance to take the lead, but Eppard's shot rimmed out with 18 seconds left. Johns hit a pair of free throws to extend the Cardinals' lead to three (82-79) with 14 seconds left. The Bluejays' potential game-tying three-pointer was off the mark, allowing the Cardinals to hold on for the three-point victory.
 
Elmhurst shot 54.4 percent (31-of-57) from the floor and took just one three-pointer in the entire contest. Elmhurst struggled from the foul line, hitting just 17-of-27 attempts (63.0 percent). The Bluejays outrebounded the Cardinals 44-38 and outscored North Central 50-24 in the paint.

McMahon poured in a game and season-high 34 points, shooting 15-of-22 from the floor. She added 11 rebounds and four assists to finish with a double-double. Eppard also totaled a double-double with 20 points and 13 rebounds while Hannah Lipman added eight points in the loss.
 
North Central shot just 33.3 percent from the floor (23-of-69), but bombed away from three-point range all game long, hitting 11-of-39 shots from downtown (33.3 percent). The Cardinals' defense also forced 33 Elmhurst turnovers resulting in 31 points for the Cardinals.
 
Johns led the Cardinals with 22 points in the win. Tess Godhardt finished with 17 points and seven rebounds while Corrine Rowe added 14 points. Jamie Cuny finished with 12 points, all from beyond the arc.

Elmhurst hosts North Park University on Wednesday, January 21.