BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Turnovers proved costly to the Elmhurst men's basketball team as the Bluejays suffered an 85-73 road loss at Illinois Wesleyan University.
 
Elmhurst, ranked 17th in the latest D3hoops.com poll, slipped to 18-5 overall and 9-5 in the CCIW after dropping its third consecutive contest. Illinois Wesleyan improved to 15-7 overall and 9-4 in the CCIW, moving a half-game up over the Bluejays in the CCIW standings.
 
The Bluejays played from behind for most of the contest. Elmhurst grabbed an early 5-2 lead before Illinois Wesleyan responded with a 20-5 run to open up a 22-10 lead just five minutes into the contest. The Titans led by as many as 13 points in the opening half and held a 38-28 lead with just 2:30 left in the half. Jake Rhode hit a three-pointer and two free throws in the final 2:30 to pull Elmhurst to within five points at 38-33 at halftime. Elmhurst gave the ball away 11 times in the opening half, leading to 13 points for the Titans.
 
The Titans extended their lead to eight points early in the second half before Elmhurst made a run. The Bluejays used a 13-5 run to pull even at 52-52 with 14:21 left to play. The two teams traded buckets on the next two possessions with Elmhurst staying even at 56-56 with 12:30 remaining. Illinois Wesleyan used a 15-3 run over the next five minutes to open up a 71-59 lead. The Bluejays pulled to within seven points with 4:45 remaining but came no closer as the Titans pulled away for the 12-point win.
 
Both teams finished the contest shooting 50.0 percent from the floor. Elmhurst hit 27-of-54 shots while the Titans connected on 34-of-68 attempts. The Bluejays hit 10-of-22 from three-point range (45.5 percent) while IWU shot 43.5 percent (10-of-23) from downtown. Elmhurst committed 18 turnovers in the loss, results in 20 points for the Titans.
 
Rhode led Elmhurst in the loss with 23 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Nick Perry and Ebrahim Jobe added 12 points apiece. Jobe finished with a double-double, totaling 12 rebounds for the Bluejays. Lavon Thomas added 11 points while Derek Dotlich scored 10.
 
Matthew Leritz led the Titans with 23 points while Doug Wallen added 21 points and five assists. Keondre Schumacher scored 13 and Corey Noe came off the bench to total 11 for IWU.
 
Elmhurst host Millikin University on Saturday, February 15, at 4:00 p.m.