ELMHURST, Ill. – The Elmhurst University men's basketball team led from start to finish to defeat Carroll University 85-78 at R.A. Faganel Hall.
 
Elmhurst, ranked 14th in the latest D3hoops.com poll, improved to 9-2 overall and 3-1 in the CCIW following the victory.
 
The Bluejays scored the first five points of the game and raced out to a commanding 20-point lead before holding off a late surge from Carroll (3-7/0-4 CCIW). Elmhurst opened the contest on a 26-6 run over the first 9:30 of the contest. Carroll brought the deficit down to 12 points with four minutes remaining, but Elmhurst pushed its lead back to 19 after a Wesley Hooker bucket with two minutes left in the half. Carroll closed the half on a 10-5 run to cut Elmhurst's halftime lead down to 44-30.
 
Elmhurst built its lead up to 22 five minutes into the start of the second half, but Carroll answered back with an 11-2 run to close to within 13 with 12 minutes remaining. The Bluejays pushed their lead back to 19 on three separate occasions, the latest coming with just 5:30 left on the clock.
 
Carroll used a 10-2 run over the next two minutes to cut Elmhurst's lead down to 11. The Bluejays led 81-68 with 2:30 left to play and led by 10 with 25 seconds left before holding on for the 85-78 victory.
 
Elmhurst shot 52.5 percent (31-of-59) from the floor, including 45.0 percent (9-of-20) from downtown. The Bluejays attacked the Pioneers inside, outscoring Carroll 44-22 in the paint. Elmhurst turned 11 offensive rebounds into 18 second-chance points.
 
All five starters reached double figures in a balanced offensive attack. Hooker led the way for the Bluejays with 18 points, six rebounds and four steals. Hooker shot 8-of-10 from the floor in the win. Bryce Drews added 14 points, hitting on 6-of-15 shot attempts while also pulling down six rebounds. Jay Militello added 13 points, five assists and five rebounds while Jonathan Zapinski finished with 12 points, six rebounds and four assists. Jake Rhode added 11 points, three rebounds and four assists. Dominic Genco came off the bench to score nine for Elmhurst.
 
Carroll shot 54.2 percent (32-of-59) from the floor, including 50.0 percent (11-of-22) from beyond the arc. Ryan Mendoza paced the Pioneers with 15 points while Aaron Wafford and Ethan Balinao added 12 points apiece for Carroll.
 
Elmhurst travels to Manchester College on Tuesday, December 21.