ELMHURST, Ill. - The Elmhurst women's basketball team rallied from a 13-point deficit to close to within four points in the final minute of action, but came up short in a 91-84 loss to Augustana College.

Elmhurst slipped to 6-2 overall and 0-2 in the CCIW while Augustana upped its record to 7-0 overall and 2-0 in league play.

Elmhurst fell behind by eight points early in the first quarter before using an 11-2 run to take an early 15-14 lead. The Bluejays built a five-point lead in the quarter and led 21-20 after the first 10 minutes of action. With the score even at 26-26 early in the second quarter, the Vikings rattled of a 12-4 run to take a 38-30 lead with five minutes left in the half. Elmhurst trimmed the lead down to four after buckets from Hannah Henderson and Kaela Jones, but Augustana closed the final 3:40 of the half with a 12-6 run to build a 50-40 lead at the half.

Elmhurst slowly chipped the lead down to three points late in the third quarter and trailed by just five (69-64) entering the fourth quarter. The Vikings seemed to pull away late in the fourth quarter, building a 13-point lead with just three minutes remaining, but the Bluejays surged back. Elmhurst rattled off nine straight points in a two-minute span to pull to within four points (86-82) with just over a minute remaining in the contest. A layup and a pair of free throws helped Augustana end the rally and escape with the seven-point victory.

Elmhurst shot 45.7 percent (32-of-70) from the floor, but struggled from long range, hitting just 3-of-18 shots from three-point distance (16.7 percent). Elmhurst won the battle on the glass, outrebounding Augustana 41-34 and turning 17 offensive rebounds into 21 second-chance points. 

Mikaela Eppard paced Elmhurst in the loss, finishing with a double-double of 22 points and 12 rebounds, both game highs. Eppard added three assists while shooting 8-of-16 from the field. Michaela Kumer came off the bench to total 14 points and nine rebounds while Henderson and Jones totaled 13 points apiece. Hannah Lipman was the fifth Bluejay to reach double figures in scoring, finishing with 11. 

Augustana finished the contest shooting 52.3 percent (34-of-65) from the field, including 50.0 percent (4-of-8) from beyond the arc. The Vikings scored 52 of their 91 points in the paint and converted 23 Elmhurst turnovers into 27 points. 

Olivia Mayer led Augustana in the win with 21 points, shooting 8-of-13 from the floor and 5-of-6 from the foul line. Corrie Reiley came off the bench to score 19 while shooting 6-of-8 from the field and 3-of-4 from downtown. Kaycee Kallenberger finished with a double-double of 12 points and 11 rebounds. 

Elmhurst will try to snap its two-game skid on Saturday, December 13, when the squad hosts Illinois Wesleyan University at 2:00 p.m.