NORTH MANCHESTER, Ind. - The Elmhurst men's basketball team could not hold on to a three-point lead in the closing seconds, falling 67-66 to Manchester University. 

Elmhurst (5-4) got off to a sluggish start as Manchester (4-6) raced out to an 11-point lead early in the first half. Elmhurst managed to trim the deficit down to just four points at the half (32-28) before surging in front early in the second half. 

The Bluejays slowly built a seven-point cushion following a Ryan Patton three-pointer with 10:21 left to play. Manchester answered back, pulling even at 55-55 with six minutes to play and moving back in front oon a Cornell Hampton bucket with 5:44 left.

The two teams traded buckets for the next three minutes with Elmhurst tying the score on a Jake Rhode layup with 2:50 remaining. A Jay Militello free throw put the Bluejays in front by one (62-61) with 2:20 left, but two free throws from Adrian Johnson gave the Sparts a two-point cushion. 

Derek Dotlich knocked down a three-pointer with just under two minutes to play, giving Elmhurst a 65-36 lead. After a Manchester miss, Dotlich split two free throws to give the Bluejays a 66-63 lead with 43 seconds left. Manchester missed a potential game-tying three pointer, but the ball went out of bounds off an Elmhurst player giving the Spartans another chance. An Elmhurst foul sent Johnson to the line where he hit two free throws to trim Elmhurst's lead back to one. 

The Bluejays missed two free throws with 14 seconds left and Abdul Ogunnaike hit a wide-open layup after a dish from Johnson, giving the Spartans a one-point lead with six seconds left. The Bluejays turned the ball over on the ensuing possession, but Manchester missed two free throws giving Elmhurst one last chance. Dotlich's jumper off a baseball pass came up short, giving Manchester the win. 

Elmhurst struggled with its shooting for much of the game, finishing at 38.1 percent (24-of-63) for the contest. The Bluejay hit 7-of-23 attempts (30.4 percent) from beyond the arc and struggled from the foul line, hitting just 52.4 percent 11-of-21). 

Rhode led the way for Elmhurst in the loss, totaling 22 points, eight rebounds and three assists. Dotlich added 13 points and six rebounds while Pavlos Marakis totaled seven points and eight rebounds. 

Manchester hit 42.1 percent (24-of-57) of its shots, including 30.4 percent (7-of-23) from long distance. The Spartans hit 12-of-16 attempts (75 percent) from the foul line. Johnson led the team with 21 points and seven assists. Hampton chipped in with 19 points and seven rebounds while Keiton Hall scored 11.

Elmhurst hosts Olivet College on Thursday, December 20.