BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The Elmhurst women's basketball team backed into the CCIW Tournament despite falling to Illinois Wesleyan 75-69. 

The Bluejays (13-12, 7-7 CCIW) will be the No. 4 seed in next weekend's CCIW Tournament after North Central completed a 19-point comeback on the road to defeat North Park. Elmhurst will face top-seeded Wheaton on the road next Friday, February 26 at 7:00 p.m. 

The Bluejays held a lead of at least five points in all four quarters against Illinois Wesleyan, but saw them slip away each time. With the win, the Titans (16-9, 11-3 CCIW) share the CCIW regular season championship with Wheaton. 

The teams traded buckets in the early going until Kaela Jones went in a mini 5-0 solo run to give Elmhurst a four-point advantage. After trailing by as much as six, Illinois Wesleyan forced six turnovers in the final 4:30 of the quarter to take a 17-16 lead into the first break. 

The Bluejays retook the lead with a Claire Monroe three-pointer and a Michaela Kumer layup to open the second period. Halfway through the quarter, an Eppard layup gave Elmhurst a seven-point lead. Trailing 28-21, the Titans finished the half on a 13-5 run to take a 34-33 lead to the locker room. 

Elmhurst shot over 56 percent from the field and outrebounded the Titans 20-11 in the first half, but turned the ball over 18 times. Jones led all Bluejays with 10 at the break, while Monroe added five points and three assists. 

After being held to just four points on 2-of-3 shooting in the first half, Eppard exploded in the early portions of the third. The reigning CCIW Player of the Week scored eight points in less than three minutes to help Elmhurst extend a five-point lead. After Erika Johnson knocked down a three-pointer to put Elmhurst ahead 47-44, the Titans scored the game's next eight points. Elmhurst only turned the ball over four times in the third quarter, but still trailed by four (52-48) heading into the final period. 

After not scoring in the third, Jones sparked the Elmhurst offense early in the fourth quarter, scoring seven of Elmhurst's first 11 points, which put the Bluejays ahead 59-56 with 5:22 left. A minute later, Johnson knocked down a three-pointer to give Elmhurst a five-point lead, but Illinois Wesleyan once again answered, scoring on all four possessions in an 8-2 run. After the Titans pulled ahead by three with 2:07 left, the Bluejays never got any closer. 

Eppard led four Bluejays in double figures with 19 points to go along with nine rebounds. Jones (17 points), Monroe (11), and Johnson (10) were the other three to score at least ten points. Elmhurst scored 40 points in the paint, while shooting 51.6 percent for the game. 

Rebekah Ehresman and Gabrielle Holness both scored a game-high 19 points to pace the Titans. Molly McGraw (12) and Maddie Merritt (11) also added double-digit points for Illinois Wesleyan. The Titans scored 39 points off of 28 turnovers and outscored Elmhurst 19-9 at the free-throw line. 

The Bluejays will travel to Wheaton for the CCIW Tournament next Friday, February 26.