LAKE FOREST, Ill. – The Elmhurst men's basketball team remained undefeated on the season and improved to 4-0 by holding off Lake Forest College 93-91 for a road victory.
Elmhurst led for the game's first 35 minutes before having to rally in the final few minutes after Lake Forest (3-2) stormed back to take the lead.
Elmhurst scored the first nine points of the game and never trailed for the entire opening 20 minutes. Lake Forest managed to pull even at 13-13 with a 13-4 run, but the Bluejays responded by scoring the game's next 13 points.
Jake Rhode and
Dominic Genco scored four points apiece to spark the Bluejays' 13-0 run. Lake Forest came as close as seven points later in the half, but Elmhurst led 46-38 at halftime.
Lake Forest closed to within three points near the start of the first half, but Elmhurst ran its lead back to double digits at 64-53 with 12 minutes remaining following a four-point play from Genco. The Bluejays led by 12 with 11:39 remaining, but the Foresters mounted a rally, mounting an 18-8 run over the next five minutes to pull to within two points at 74-72 with 7:30 remaining. Elmhurst extended its lead back to seven with 5:42 remaining, but the Foresters took their first lead of the night with a 13-4 run caped by an Aidyn Albright three-pointer.
Elmhurst evened the score at 85-85 with three minutes remaining, but a Tashon Brown free throw put Lake Forest back in front with 2:13 remaining. A three-pointer from
Jay Militello put Elmhurst back in front 88-86 with two minutes remaining. The two teams exchanged leads again as Albright knocked down another three-pointer to give Lake Forest an 89-88 lead with one minute remaining.
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Lavon Thomas put back with 36 seconds but Elmhurst in front 90-89. After a Lake Forest turnover, Rhode hit two free throws to lengthen Elmhurst's lead to 92-89 with 17 seconds left. Lake Forest scored a bucket with six seconds left to pull to within one. Elmhurst split a pair of free throws with two seconds left to take a 93-91 lead and Lake Forest was called for traveling on the ensuing inbounds play. Elmhurst was able to inbound the ball and run out the clock to preserve the win.
Elmhusrt shot 50.0 percent (33-of-66) from the floor but struggled from downtown, hitting just 22.2 percent (4-of-18). The Bluejays won the rebounding battle, outrebounding Lake Forest 43-33. Elmhurst turned 12 offensive rebounds into 20 second chance points.
Five Bluejays reached double figures in scoring in the win. Rhode led the Bluejays with 21 points, shooting 7-of-18 from the floor in the win. He added five assists for the Bluejays. Thomas finished with a double-double of 20 points and 11 rebounds. Thomas shot 8-of-12 from the field in the win. Militello finished one rebound shy of a double-double, totaling 16 points and nine boards.
Derek Dotlich added 15 points while
Ebrahim Jobe tallied 10 points and seven rebounds. Genco finished with nine points for the Bluejays.
Lake Forest hit 46.2 percent (30-of-65) of its shots, including 31.3 percent (10-of-32) from downtown.
Albright led the Foresters with 22 points, hitting 5-of-12 from three-point range. Reece Taylor added 21 points and eight rebounds. Sean Espinosa (16 points) and Tashon Brown (13 points) also reached double figures in scoring for Lake Forest.
Elmhurst hosts Wabash College on Saturday, November 30.