ELMHURST, Ill. – Fiona McMahon and Mikaela Eppard combined for 42 points and 17 rebounds to power the Elmhurst women's basketball team to an 86-61 win over Illinois Wesleyan University.
 
The Elmhurst victory ended Illinois Wesleyan's 18-game series winning streak over the Bluejays that dated back to the 2007 season. The victory also marked Elmhurst's first win over the Titans at R.A. Faganel Hall since the 1999 season.
 

Elmhurst seized control early in the opening half. Trailing 9-7 four minutes into the contest, Elmhurst ripped off 11 straight points to build an 18-9 lead with 12:20 remaining. The Titans shaved the lead down to two points with 9:40 remaining, but Elmhurst responded, extending its lead back to five points. A 6-0 run ignited by four points from Kalia Summerlin pushed Elmhurst's lead up to 11 with just over three minutes left in the half. The Titans finished the half on an 11-6 run to close to within six points (41-35) at halftime.
 
The Bluejays dominated the Titans in the second half, outscoring Illinois Wesleyan 45-26 en route to the 25-point victory. Leading by four just three minutes into the second half, the Bluejays erupted for a 21-6 run over the next eight minutes to take a commanding 21-point lead. McMahon helped ignite the Bluejays' run, scoring 10 of her-game high 24 points during the stretch. Illinois Wesleyan closed to within 15 points with 7:30 remaining, but a 10-0 Elmhurst run fueled six points from Eppard put the game out of reach for the Bluejays.
 
Elmhurst finished the contest shooting 56.4 percent (31-of-55) from the floor, including a whipping 59.3 percent (16-of-27) in the second half. The Bluejays knocked down 4-of-11 shots from beyond the arc (36.4 percent) while converting 20-of-23 attempts from the foul line (87.0 percent). The Bluejays turned the ball over 22 times, but committed only four turnovers in the game's final 17 minutes while pulling away for the win. The Bluejays also won the battle on the glass, outrebounding the Titans 38-30.
 
McMahon led all scorers with 24 points, shooting 8-of-12 from the floor. She finished one rebound shy of a double-double with nine. Eppard shot 9-of-12 to total 18 points and collected eight rebounds in the win. Summerlin finished with 12 points while Claire Monroe totaled nine points and seven assists. Hannah Lipman added nine points and five assists in the victory.
 
Illinois Wesleyan shot 40.3 percent (27-of-67) from the floor, but just 18.2 percent (2-of-11) from downtown. Molly McGraw paced the Titans with 18 points while Samantha Ellsworth added 12. The Titans committed 18 turnovers resulting in 21 points for the Bluejays.
 
Elmhurst improved to 10-8 overall and 3-4 in the CCIW with the victory. Illinois Wesleyan slipped to 8-10 overall and 2-5 in league play.
 
Elmhurst travels to Augustana on Wednesday, January 28.