WHEATON, Ill. -  The Elmhurst men's basketball team slipped to a 17-5 overall and 7-4 in the CCIW after stumbling in a 76-68 loss at Wheaton College.
 
Wheaton (10-12, 3-8 CCIW) raced out to a quick 22-9 lead just eight minutes into the contest. The Thunder led by 10  (34-24) with five minutes left in the half before a 7-0 Elmhurst run brought the Bluejays to within three points with 2:49 left. Elmhurst trailed the Thunder 40-36 at the half.
 
Elmhurst, ranked 19th in the latest D3hoops.com poll, quickly sliced the lead down to just one point early in the second half. An Erik Crittenden jumper brought Elmhurst even at 47-47 six minutes into the half. After a Brayden Teuscher layup put Wheaton up by two, Elmhurst grabbed its first lead since the opening half after Kyle Wuest knocked down a three-pointer. A Crittenden bucket on Elmhurst's next possession gave the Bluejays a 52-49 lead with 11:44 remaining, but the Thunder responded with a 15-4 run over the next five minutes to grab a 64-56 lead. The Thunder pushed their lead up to 10 points with 2:27 left. Six straight points brought Elmhurst to within a four-point deficit with 33 seconds remaining, but the Thunder put the game away from the foul line.
 
Foul shooting proved to be a key factor in the game as Elmhurst was whistled for 23 fouls, sending Wheaton to the line a whopping 40 times. The Thunder shot 92.5 percent from the charity stripe, hitting 37-of-40 attempts, accounting for nearly half of its total points. Elmhurst shot just 16 free throws, hitting 12.
 
After shooting 50.0 percent (13-of-26) in the opening half, Elmhurst struggled in the second, hitting just 14-of-42 attempts (33.3 percent) to finish the game shooting 39.7 percent (27-of-68). The Bluejays were ice cold from long distance, hitting just 2-of-16 shots (12.5 percent) from beyond the arc.
 
Wuest led Elmhurst with 17 points in the loss. Crittenden came off the bench to record a double-double of 13 points and 12 rebounds. Bryant Ackerman added 12 points while Will Nixon added 10 points and seven rebounds.
 
Wheaton struggled with its shooting from the floor, hitting just 17-of-53 attempts (32.1 percent), including 26.9 percent (7-of-26) in the second half. Wheaton also struggled from downtown, hitting just 5-of-22 three-point shots (22.7 percent). The Thunder's impressive 92.5 percent from the foul line helped win the game for the Thunder.
 
Teuscher powered the Thunder in the win with 26 points, scoring 16 of his 26 from the free throw line. Peter Smith added 16 points (10 from the free throw line) while Michael Berg totaled 15 points and 14 rebounds (nine free throws). Murad Dillard came off the bench to score 11 for the Thunder.
 
Elmhurst will look to bounce back from the loss on Wednesday, February 11, by hosting North Park University at 7:00 p.m.