CHICAGO, Ill. – Kelly Weyhrich's left-handed layup with 1.3 seconds remaining propelled the Elmhurst women's basketball team to a 60-58 victory at North Park University and into the CCIW Tournament in the process.
 
Elmhurst improved to 13-11 overall and 9-6 in the CCIW while securing its fifth consecutive trip to the CCIW Tournament. North Park dropped to 9-14 overall and 4-10 in league play with the loss.
 
The back-and-forth affair featured 12 ties and 12 lead changes but Elmhurst had to erase a 13-point second half deficit to earn the victory. Both teams struggled in the opening half. North Park outscored Elmhurst 16-12 in the opening quarter, but the Bluejays pulled even at 22-22 at halftime.
 
North Park started strong in the third quarter, scoring the first 13 points in 4:10 to open up a 35-22 lead. Elmhurst answered right back, ripping off a 16-2 run over the next 2:50 to grab a 38-37 lead after a pair of free throws from Weyhrich. Kaela Jones helped spark the Elmhurst run, scoring nine consecutive points for the Bluejays. The two squads traded leads four times over the next two minutes before Elmhurst built a 47-45 lead after three quarter.
 
Elmhurst opened up a quick four-point cushion early in the fourth before North Park pulled even at 55-55 on a Brie Lippert jumper. The Vikings went back in front with four minutes remaining on a Samantha Bloom bucket, but Weyhrich buried a three-pointer with 2:10 remaining to put Elmhurst back in front at 58-57.
 
After an Elmhurst turnover and foul, Clarissa Ramos hit the second of two free throws to even the score at 58-58 with just 75 seconds remaining. An Elmhurst turnover gave the Vikings a chance to go in front, but North Park threw the ball away, giving Elmhurst the ball with 50 seconds left. The Bluejays missed two chances down low, but the ball went out bounds off of North Park with just 23 seconds left, allowing Elmhurst to hold for one shot. Weyhrich drove around a screen at the top of the key and found a seem to the bucket, finishing the layup with just 1.3 seconds left. North Park's heave at the buzzer came up well short allowing the Bluejays to come away with the victory.
 
Elmhurst overcame a rough shooting night to earn the victory. The Bluejays shot just 35.6 percent in the contest (21-of-59) after shooting below 30 percent in the opening half. The Bluejays hit 5-of-17 attempts from three-point distance (29.4 percent) but won the battle on the glass, outrebounding North Park 41-30. Jones led Elmhurst in the victory, finishing with 16 points, five rebounds and four assists. Mikaela Eppard added 11 points and 13 rebounds, eclipsing 1,000 rebounds for her career. Eppard is now just the second player in Elmhurst history to total over 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds for her career. Julia Madrid came off the bench to score a season-high 12 points while Weyhrich also reached double figures in scoring, finishing with 10.
 
North Park shot 45.5 percent (25-of-55) from the floor, but just 10 percent (1-of-10) from three-point range. Shaylee Sloan led the Vikings with 15 points and nine rebounds while Lippert scored 10. Lauryn Alba Garner added nine points for the Vikings.
 
Elmhurst wraps up the 2017-18 regular season by hosting Illinois Wesleyan University next Tuesday, February 20.