LISLE, Ill. - Mikaela Eppard recorded a double-double and four Bluejays scored in double figures as the Elmhurst women's basketball team won its season opener over Benedictine 69-60. 

After trailing for much of the first half, the Bluejays (1-0) stormed back in the second quarter to take a lead and did not trail the rest of the way.
 

The Eagles (0-1) quickly jumped out to a 9-2 lead in the early goings as the visiting Bluejays made only one basket in the game's first 5:13. Elmhurst used shots on consecutive possessions from Hannah Lipman, Kaela Jones, and a three-ball from Claire Monroe to tie the game at nine. The Eagles ended the quarter on a 6-2 run to take a 15-11 lead into the second quarter. 

Elmhurst out scored Benedictine 20-10 in the second quarter to take a six-point lead into the break. Early in the quarter, the Bluejays tied the game at 19 behind three layups from Kalia Summerlin. Then, Elmhurst stepped up defensively, shutting down the Eagles' offense in the final three minutes of the half, which turned into an 6-0 run. 
 

The Eagles pulled within three early in the third, but Hannah Lipman's 4-0 solo run, along with a layup from Eppard helped Elmhurst take a nine-point lead, its largest of the contest. The Eagles slowly chipped into the lead late in the quarter, as Elmhurst took a five-point lead into the final break. 

In the fourth quarter, Benedictine used a 9-4 run to force the first tie of the game since the first half. With the game tied at 52, Katie Swanson and Eppard took over for the Bluejays. Swanson scored 12 of her 13 points in the game's final 6:35 including a layup with two minutes to go that extended the Elmhurst lead to eight. Down the stretch, Swanson converted on five of her six free-throw attempts to seal the Elmhurst victory.

Eppard scored a team-high 14 points, while Swanson (13), Jones (11), and Lipman (10) joined her in double figures. All 13 of Swanson's points came in the fourth quarter, as she finished 9-of-11 from the free-throw stripe. Elmhurst shot just 23-percent from three-point range, but outscored Benedictine 23-14 in points off turnovers and 34-28 in points in the paint. 

Crayton DeKayla went 6-of-7 from the field, scoring a game-high 16 points to pace the Eagles. Raven Willis were the next highest scorers for Benedictine. 

The Bluejays travel to the CCIW/SLIAC Challenge next weekend, facing Greenville on Friday, November 20 at 5:00 p.m. and Westminster (Mo.) on Saturday, November 21 at 11:00 a.m.