ELMHURST – Turnovers and a barrage of opposition three-pointers did in the Elmhurst men's basketball team in an 81-77 loss to Blackburn College at R.A. Faganel Hall.

Elmhurst (1-1) turned the ball over 18 times leading to 20 points for Blackburn (2-2). The Beavers also rained down there-pointers all night long, connecting on 17 shots from behind the arc.
 
Elmhurst built an early 22-14 lead with 12 minutes remaining in the first half, but Blackburn answered back, using an 8-0 run to pull even at the midway point of the half. The two teams traded buckets and leads for the rest of the half as a Karson Hayes three-pointer with 30 seconds remaining gave Blackburn a 41-40 lead at the half.
 
Elmhurst moved in front 57-52 following a three-pointer from Jake Rhode with 9:24 left to play, but Blackburn answered back with a 13-5 run over the next five minutes to open up a 65-62 lead with 4:30 left to play. The Bluejays cut the deficit down to one with four minutes left, but an 8-2 run gave Blackburn a seven-point cushion with two minutes left. Elmhurst closed to within two or three points multiple times in the final 70 seconds, but Blackburn sealed the game from the free throw line by hitting all eight of their attempts in the final minute.
 
Elmhurst shot 50.0 percent (30-of-60) from the floor, including 41.2 percent (7-of-17) from downtown. The Bluejays also dominated play inside, outscoring Blackburn 40-13 in the paint and outrebounding the Beavers 41-31.
 
Jake Rhode finished one assist shy of a double-double, totaling 21 points and nine assists in the loss. Derek Dotlich finished with a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds while Lavon Thomas gave Elmhurst a spark off the bench with 18 points and seven rebounds. Pavlos Marakis collected nine rebounds while Jeremy Ireland scored nine for Elmhurst.
 
Blackburn shot just 37.7 percent (23-of-61) from the floor, but the Beavers finished at 47.2 percent (17-of-36) from three-point distance and 90.0 percent (18-of-20) from the foul line. Karson Hayes led the Beavers with 23 points, including 14 in the second half. Duncan King chipped in with 18 points for the Beavers.
 
Elmhurst plays at Buena Vista University on Saturday, November 24.