STORM LAKE, IOWA – Five different Bluejays reached double figures in scoring to lead the Elmhurst men's basketball team to a 92-87 road victory at Buena Vista University.
 
Elmhurst improved to 2-2 on the season with the win while Buena Vista fell to 2-2 with the loss.
 
Elmhurst raced out to an early 19-8 lead only to have the Beavers storm back with a 22-6 run to move in front 30-25 with eight minutes left in the half. Elmhurst responded and the two teams traded buckets and lead for the remainder of the half. Elmhurst moved in front 42-40 after a three-pointer from Derek Dotlich with less than a minute, but Michael Demers bucket with 38 seconds left tied the score at 42-all at halftime.
 
Buena Vista started quickly in the second half, opening with a 9-2 run to grab a seven-point lead with two minutes gone by. Elmhurst answered back with a 13-0 run over the next four minutes to open up a six-point lead at 57-51. Elmhurst lengthened its lead as the half progressed, building a 13-point cushion with 8:30 left to play.
 
Buena Vista slowly chipped away at the lead, using an a 18-6 run over the next 4:30 to close to within a point with just four minutes remaining. A bucket from Pavlos Marakis and a three-pointer from Jake Rhode gave Elmhurst an 81-75 lead with 3:30 left on the clock. The Beavers cut the deficit down to three points on two occasions, but Elmhurst hit 9-of-10 free throws down the stretch to put the game away.
 
The Blueajys shot 55.2 percent (32-of-58) form the floor, including 43.5 percent (10-of-23) from three-point range. Elmhurst hit 18-of-23 free throw attempts to shoot 78.3 percent for the contest. Elmhurst won the rebound battle, pulling down 43 rebounds to Buena Vista's 26. Elmhurst outscored the Beavers 40-28 in the paint.
 
Rhode paced Elmhurst with a game-high 19 points while shooting 7-of-12 from the floor. He added six rebounds and two assists in the win. Jeremy Ireland added a double-double, finishing with 18 points, 10 rebounds and three assists. Ryan Patton pumped in 16 points, shooting 6-of-14 from the floor while Dotlich poured in 12 points and dished out five assists. Marakis recorded a game-high 13 rebounds while adding seven points. Jay Militello came off the bench to score 13 for the Bluejays. Nick Perry added seven points and four assists for Elmhurst in the win.
 
Buena Vista shot 43.1 percent (28-of-65) from the floor, including 35.9 percent (14-of-39) from downtown. Robert Hawkins paced Buena Vista in the loss with 20 points while Dominic Sesma and Timothy Jeffries totaled 16 points apiece for the Beavers.
 
Elmhurst plays at Wabash College on November 28.