ELMHURST, Ill. – The Elmhurst men's basketball team upped its record to 2-1 on the season after defeating Alma College 95-72 at R.A. Faganel Hall.

Four players reached double figures in scoring to pace the Bluejays, including Jake Rhode and Derek Dotlich who combined to score 41 points.
 
Elmhurst and Alma (0-3) traded baskets and leads for the six minutes of the opening half before a Jeremy Ireland tip-in with 13:26 left put the Bluejays up for good. Leading by one with just under 10 minutes to play in the half, the Bluejays opened up a 16-7 run over the next five minutes to extend their lead to 10 points after Rhode knocked down a three-pointer and was fouled, converting his second four-point play in in a three-minute span. The Bluejays continued to pull away as Dotlich's put back with just one second left in the half gave Elmhurst a 46-30 lead at the half.
 
The Bluejays started the second half with a 13-5 run, building a 24-point cushion on Justin Fox's layup. Alma managed to slice the lead down to 15 points with 9:43 remaining, but the Bluejays answered back with an 8-1 run to push their lead back up 22 points with eight minutes left. Alma came no closer than 17 points for the final eight minutes as the Bluejays coasted to the 23-point victory.
 
Elmhurst finished the contest shooting 46.7 percent (35-of-75) from the floor. The Bluejays knocked down 11 three-pointers in the contest and won the battle on the glass, outrebounding Alma 43-30.
 
Rhode led all scorers with a season-high 21 points, hitting all five of his field goals from three-point distance. He was a perfect six-of-six from the foul line to cap his night. He added six assists and three steals in the win. Dotlich came off the bench to score a season-high 20 points, shooting 6-of-15 from the floor. He knocked down four three-pointers and collected five rebounds in the win. Lance Gardner added 18 points for the Bluejays while Jeremy Ireland finished with a double-double of 17 points and a game-high 15 rebounds. Nick Perry added eight points for the Bluejays while Peyton Sampson grabbed seven rebounds.
 
Alma hit 49.1 percent (27-of-55) of its shots, including 7-of-20 (35.0 percent) from downtown. Kevin Gamble led the Scots in the loss with 15 points while Preston Laketa came off the bench to score 12. Doug Bradfield added 11 points and six rebounds for Alma in the loss.
 
Elmhurst travels to Olivet College on Wednesday, November 29.