ELMHURST, Ill. – The Elmhurst men's basketball recorded its sixth consecutive victory by holding off Carthage College 69-66 at R.A. Faganel Hall.
 
Elmhurst upped its record to 6-1 overall with the victory and also secured the right to host a quarterfinal game in next week's CCIW Tournament.
 
The contest was close from start to finish with neither team leading by more than six points. The game featured 17 lead changes and 10 ties.
 
Elmhurst (6-1) and Carthage (4-6) traded buckets for much of the first half with the Bluejays' opening up a 21-15 lead with nine minutes to go following a bucket from Wesley Hooker. Carthage answered back, taking a lead four different times down the stretch. The Firebirds led by a bucket with under a minute to play, but two Ocean Johnson free throws allowed Elmhurst to pull even at 32-32 at the half.
 
Carthage came out quickly in the second half, opening up a four-point cushion at 45-41. Elmhurst overtook the Firebirds with 11:44 remaining to build a three-point cushion, but Carthage scored the next eight points to take its biggest lead of the night at five points (54-40) with just under nine minutes to play. An 11-2 Elmhurst run over the net five minutes put the Bluejays in front by four (65-61) with 4:44 remaining, but Carthage answered back with five straight to take a 66-65 lead with 2:28 left on the clock.
 
Lavon Thomas powered his way inside for what proved to be the game-winning bucket with 1:49 left to play. After misses by both teams, Carthage was forced to foul Elmhurst. Dominic Genco hit both free throws with 22 seconds left. Carthage's game-tying three-point attempt came up short just before the buzzer.
 
The Bluejays found a way to win, despite a quiet shooting night. Elmhurst hit 36.2 percent (25-of-69) from the floor, including 33.3 percent (10-of-30) from three-point range. The Bluejays were solid from the foul line, hitting 9-of-11 attempts. Elmhurst took advantage of Carthage's mistakes, turning 14 Firebirds into 16 points.
 
Jay Militello led Elmhurst in the win with a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds. Genco added 14 points while Ocean Johnson finished with 10. Hooker came off the bench to score eight for the Bluejays. Jonathan Zapinski totaled six points, five rebounds and four assists while also blocking three shots, including two blocks in the final 90 seconds of the game.
 
Carthage shot 45.2 percent (28-of-62) from the field, but only 32-.0 percent (8-of-25) from downtown. The Firebirds owned a 42-36 edge in rebounding and also outscored Elmhurst 32-24.
 
Fillip Bulatovic flirted with a triple-double for Carthage, finishing with 18 points, 14 rebounds and eights assists. Joshua Washburn added 14 points and 10 rebounds while Sean Johnson scored 10 for Carthage.
 
Elmhurst travels to Carthage on Saturday, February 27, for a 2:00 pm contest.