PHOENIX, Ariz. – The Elmhurst men's basketball team rallied from a double-digit first-half deficit to defeat the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse 76-61 and capture the tournament title at the D3 Desert Invitational.
 
Elmhurst (8-4) fell behind early as UW-La Crosse (7-4) jumped out to a 29-15 lead in the first 13 minutes. Elmhurst surged back over the final seven minutes of the opening half, closing on an 18-4 run to pull even at 33-33 at halftime.
 
Elmhurst jumped out in front by five early in the second half but the Eagles battled back to take a 49-46 lead with 12:47 left to play. Elmhurst scored the next five points to move back in front and the two squads proceeded to trade buckets and leads for the next six minutes. UW-La Crosse led 61-60, but a Derek Dotlich bucket put the Bluejays up for good. Jake Rhode followed with a three-pointer to extend Elmhurst's lead to four points with 5:18 left to play. UW-La Crosse pulled to within a point on three separate occasions, but Elmhurst answered back every time, extending its lead back to four before pulling away for the five-point win.
 
Elmhurst shot 49.1 percent (27-of-55) from the floor, including 33.3 percent (6-of-18) from downtown. Rhode led the way for the Bluejays with a game-high 33 points, netting Tournament MVP honors in the process. Rhode shot 10-of-16 from the floor and 10-of-13 from the free throw line in the win. Jeremy Ireland added 10 points and six rebounds while earning all-tournament team honors. Dotlich finished with 13 points for Elmhurst.
 
UW-La Crosse shot 47.4 percent (27-of-57) from the floor and an identical 33.3 percent (8-of-24) from three-point range. Terek Nesheim came off the bench to lead the Eagles with 15 points. Taulvish McCray added 12 for the Eagles.
 
Elmhurst resumes CCIW play on January 2, by traveling to Carroll University.