ELMHURST, Ill. – The Elmhurst men's basketball team snapped a four-game slide with an 87-78 win over North Central College.
 
Elmhurst (6-11, 2-6 CCIW) raced out to a quick start turning a 7-2 deficit into a 25-14 lead thanks to a 23-7 run keyed by four three-pointers and 10 points from Caleb Mowry. The Bluejays led 30-19 with eight minutes remaining in the half before North Central (9-8, 3-5 CCIW) picked up its offense. The Cardinals used a 22-4 run over the next seven minutes to take a 31-34 lead. The Cardinals led 41-37 at the half.
 
The Bluejays quickly took control in the second half, opening with a 10-1 run to build a five-point cushion after a Jaylen Loving bucket. The lead changed hands seven times over the next seven minutes with the Cardinals owning a 58-55 cushion with just under 11 minutes remaining in the half.  Elmhurst used a 12-0 run over the next 3:30 top open up a nine-point lead with just 8:27 remaining.
 
North Central refused to go away, as the Cardinals chipped the Bluejays' lead down to just two points with 4:21 left on the clock. A three-pointer from Marquis Carter helped give the Bluejays some breathing room and Elmhurst slowly pushed its lead back to seven points with a minute to play. Elmhurst led by as many as 11 points in the final minute before coming away with the 87-78 win over the Cardinals.
 
Elmhurst finished the contest shooting 45.3 percent (29-of-64) from the floor, including 37.9 percent (11-of-29) from three-point distance. The Bluejays turned in a strong effort on the glass, outrebounding North Central 41-31. Elmhurst also scored 13 points on the fast break to North Central's two points.
 
Derek Dotlich led Elmhurst in the victory, finishing with a game and season-high 23 points. Dotlich shot 7-of-15 from the floor, including 4-of-7 from downtown. He added seven rebounds and three assists in the win. Mowry finished with 15 points for the Bluejays while Devin Tennant totaled 10 points and six rebounds. Ryan Patton and Brian Kern totaled nine points apiece while Carter and Jalen Loving each scored eight. Loving added a team-leading eight rebounds while Carter dished out seven assists.
 
North Central shot 46.2 percent (30-of-65) from the floor, including 40.0 percent (8-of-20) from three-point distance. Alex Sorenson led the Cardinals with 19 points while Erwin Henry came off the bench to score 16. Matt Cappelletti finished with a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds.
 
Elmhurst travels to Augustana College on Wednesday, January 25.