ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – Six different players reached double figures in scoring to lead the Elmhurst University men's basketball team to an 86-66 road victory over Augustana College.
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Elmhurst, ranked 12th in the latest D3hoops.com poll, improved to 12-3 overall and 4-2 in the CCIW with the victory. The Bluejays led for over 36 minutes of the contest, trailing Augustana (8-9/3-5 CCIW) only at the start of the contest.
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Trailing 6-4 early, the Bluejays rattled off a 17-4 run over the next eight minutes to open up an 11-point cushion. Elmhurst led by as many as 17 points in the opening half and carried a 40-26 lead into the locker room.
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The Bluejays continued to pull away in the second half as Augustana never came closer than a 13-point deficit. Leading 54-41, the Bluejays used a 21-7 run to open up a 27-point lead with six minutes remaining before cruising to the 20-point victory.
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Elmhurst shot 44.6 percent (33-of-74) from the field, including 36.4 percent (4-of-11) from beyond the arc. The Bluejays were nearly perfect at the foul line, hitting 16-of-17 attempts. Elmhurst controlled the action inside, outscoring the Vikings 54-28 in the paint and converting 14 offensive rebounds into 22 second-chance points. The Bluejays won the rebounding battle 41-33.
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Jay Militello and
Jake Rhode totaled 14 points apiece to pace a balanced Elmhurst attack. Rhode added a team-leading seven rebounds and five assists while Militello tallied six boards and three assists.
Jonathan Zapinski and
Wesley Hooker added 12 points apiece while
Lavon Thomas came off the bench to finish with 11 points and six rebounds.
Dominic Genco added 10 points for the Bluejays while
Ocean Johnson finished with eight points, six rebounds and four steals.
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Augustana shot 41.4 percent (24-of-58) in the contest. Dan Carr paced the Vikings with a double-double of 12 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. Matt Hanushewsky and Tyler Knuth scored 10 points apiece for the Vikings.
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Elmhurst travels to 14th-ranked Wheaton College on Saturday, January 22 for a clash of top-15 teams.
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