ELMHURST, Ill. – The Elmhurst men's basketball team closed the book on its 2016-17 season with thrilling 73-70 win over Carroll University.

Elmhurst wrapped up the season with an 8-17 overall record and a 4-12 mark in the CCIW after dropping Carroll to 13-12 overall and 8-8 in the CCIW. Elmhurst was the only CCIW team to sweep the two-game season series from Carroll.
 
Carroll started the game quickly, building a quick 15-6 lead as Elmhurst struggled to hit its stride. The Bluejays answered back with a 9-2 run to slice the Pioneers' lead down to just two points with 9:41 remaining in the half. Carroll pushed its lead back to eight at 30-22 with 2:51 left on the clock, but the Bluejays closed the half with an 11-3 run to cut the deficit down to just one point (33-32) at halftime.

A Caleb Mowry three-pointer to start the second half gave Elmhurst its first lead of the game. The Bluejays built a six-point cushion at 46-40, but Carroll ripped off seven straight to reclaim the lead with 12:26 remaining. The Bluejays reclaimed the lead and opened up a four-point cushion (56-52) with eight minutes remaining, but an 8-2 run from Carroll gave the Pioneers a 60-58 lead after a Kyle Keranen three-pointer. Elmhurst pulled even and back in front by four with 2:51 left, but Carroll evened the score at 66-66 following a pair of free throws from Tanner Zaeske.
 
Elmhurst took the lead for good with 1:14 left. Jalen Loving leaped into the air to collect the inbounds pass, spun past a defender and slammed the ball home to put Elmhurst in front 68-66. After a turnover by the Pioneers, Austin Brown beat the shot clock and drained a three-pointer from the wing with 32 seconds left, giving Elmhurst a five-point lead at 71-66. Carroll did not go away as the Pioneers scored four straight to make it a one-point game with 11 seconds left. Derek Dotlich hit two free throws with five seconds remaining to seal the game for the Bluejays.
 
Elmhurst finished the contest shooting 37.5 percent (21-of-56) from the floor, including 29.2 percent (7-of-24) from downtown. The Bluejays won the battle on the glass, outrebounding Carroll 45-32. Elmhurst turned 16 offensive rebounds into 16 second-chance points. Dotlich paced Elmhurst with 19 points and four assists while Loving totaled a double-double of 11 points and 13 rebounds. Brown came off the bench to score 10 while Nathan Rogers and Mowry totaled nine points apiece. Devin Tennant added eight points for the Bluejays.
 
Carroll finished the contest shooting 37.7 percent (20-of-53) from the field, including 31.8 percent (7-of-22) from three-point distance. Tanner Zaeske led the Pioneers in the loss with 18 points while Ben Widdes scored 12. Keranen finished with 11 points while Tyler Ingebrigsten and Ray Pierce totaled 10 points apiece.