ELMHURST, Ill. – The Elmhurst women's basketball team's second-half rally came up just short as the Bluejays fell 64-54 to North Park University.

After trailing by as many as 22 points in the first half, Elmhurst pulled to within four points on three occasions in the second half, but came no closer as North Park held on for the 10-point victory.

Elmhurst slipped to 9-8 overall and 2-4 in the CCIW with the loss while North Park improved to 10-7 overall and 2-4 in league play.
 
Elmhurst struggled right from the opening tip as North Park scored the first 10 points of the game while the Bluejays were held without a field goal for the first seven minutes of action. The Vikings capitalized on multiple Elmhurst mistakes, converting 14 turnovers into 18 points while building a 22-point lead with just under six minutes left in the half. The Vikings led 41-22 at the break.
 

Trailing by 17 with 15:30 left to play, the Bluejays used a 16-3 run keyed by six points from Fiona McMahon to pull to within four points with just under seven minutes left. Elmhurst had a chance to pull to within a bucket over the next two minutes, but turned the ball over on three straight possessions. Clinging to a four-point lead with four minutes left, North Park used a 7-0 run over the next two minutes to open up an 11-point lead and put the game out of reach.
 
Elmhurst shot 37.8 percent (17-of-45) from the floor, but struggled from downtown, hitting just 3-of-17 attempts (17.6 percent) from beyond the arc. The Bluejays hit 17-of-22 attempts (77.3 percent) from the foul line while also outrebounding North Park 40-31. Turnovers continued to plague the Bluejays as 28 turnovers resulted in 27 points for the Vikings.
 
McMahon led the Bluejays with a double-double of 19 points and 12 rebounds. She totaled 15 points and nine rebounds in the second half. Mikaela Eppard finished with eight points and four rebounds while Melanie Schwerdtmann came off the bench to score eight.
 
North Park finished the contest shooting 41.0 percent (25-of-61) from the floor, including 36.4 percent (4-of-11) from downtown. The Vikings struggled from the charity stripe, hitting just 10-of-21 attempts (47.6 percent). Liz Rehberger led the Vikings with a game-high 20 points, shooting 8-of-18 from the floor. Annie Shain added 10 points while Amani Davis, Shaylee Sloan and Kennedy Kantner scored six points apiece.
 
Elmhurst will look to snap its three-game slide on Saturday, January 24, when the Bluejays welcome Illinois Wesleyan University to R.A. Faganel Hall. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.