ELMHURST, Ill. – The Elmhurst University men's basketball team advanced to the semifinals of the 2022 CCIW Tournament by rolling past Augustana College 81-63 at R.A. Faganel Hall.
 
Elmhurst, the third seed in the tournament, improved to 20-6 on the season while sixth-seeded Augustana closed out the season at 11-15 overall.
 
Elmhurst scored the first four points of the contest and never looked back as the Bluejays led from wire-to-wire and never trailed in the contest. Leading by six midway through the half, Elmhurst ripped off a 14-5 run over the next four minutes to open up a 15-point cushion with six minutes remaining. The Bluejays led by as many as 21 points in the opening half and carried a 45-27 lead into the locker room at halftime.
 
Elmhurst never led Augustana get back into the contest in the second half. The Bluejays led by 26 points or more on eight separate occasions in the second half and cruised to the 18-point victory.
 
Elmhurst finished the game shooting 38.7 percent (24-of-62) from the floor and hit only 4-of-18 (22.2 percent) 3-point attempts, but the Bluejays were solid from the foul line, converting 29-of-34 attempts (85.3 percent). The Bluejays outrebounded the Vikings 47-36 for the contest.
 
Wesley Hooker led a balanced Elmhurst attack, finishing with 18 points and six rebounds while adding three steals in the victory. Ocean Johnson netted 17 points and five rebounds, hitting on 3-of-7 attempts from beyond the arc.
 
Lavon Thomas became the 28th player in Elmhurst history to score over 1,000 points in his career. Thomas hit a layup with just under five minutes remaining for his 12th point of the night, giving him 1,001 for his career. He added five rebounds in the win.
 
Augustana shot 40.4 percent (23-of-57) from the field, but struggled from the outside, hitting only 3-of-19 attempts from 3-point distance. Dan Carr led the Vikings with a game-high double-double of 25 points and 12 rebounds. Luke Johnson added nine points for Augustana.
 
Elmhurst will take on second-seeded Wheaton College in the CCIW Tournament semifinals. The two teams will clash on Friday, February 25 at Illinois Wesleyan University. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:00 p.m.