ELMHURST, Ill. - The Elmhurst University men's basketball team secured their spot in the 2023 CCIW Tournament, defeating Augustana College 94-76 Wednesday evening inside R.A. Faganel Hall.

Elmhurst (16-8, 8-7 CCIW) battled with the Vikings in the first half, changing the lead seven times early in the game before taking the lead for good halfway through the first half. The Bluejays shot an efficient 14-for-28 (.500) from behind the arc and 33-for-63 (.524) from the field to coast to an 18-point home victory.

John Ittounas led the Bluejays with 21 points and seven assists on the evening, while Jonathan Zapinski secured another double-double with a 14-point, 12 rebound effort including a pair of threes. Tagen Pearson tallied 15 for Elmhurst, while Wesley Hooker added 13 for the offense in the victory. 

Augustana (7-17, 5-10 CCIW) struggled on the offensive end, shooting just 39.1 percent from the field and 27 percent (5-for-18) from behind the arc. Individually, Dan Carr's 18-point, 12-rebound double-double led the Vikings, while Tyler Knuth added 14 for the visitors. Colton Gillingham added 12 for Augustana, while Mikey Hamilton added a block on the evening.

The two teams traded possessions and baskets early, changing the lead seven times before a trey from Pearson put the Bluejays ahead by a pair with 7:49 to go in the first half. The Bluejays ended the half on an 18-10 run to build a seven-point halftime lead.

Augustana kept the game within five out of the half after a jumper from Knuth, but the Bluejays got hot from the three-point line with Neshat Dalipi and Zapinski contributing treys to build a ten-point lead with 13 to go. A pair of free throws from Pearson extended the Bluejay lead to 15 and sparked a 17-9 run from Elmhurst. The Bluejays kept their momentum going from three, with four different players knocking down threes to extend the lead to 21. The Bluejays emptied their bench with 2:12 to go and saw scoring contributions from Braden Flanagan and John Witcher to seal the 18-point home victory.

UP NEXT

The Bluejays will wrap up the regular season this Saturday, Feb. 18, welcoming the seventh-ranked Wheaton Thunder to R.A. Faganel Hall for a 4:15 p.m. CT tipoff. Elmhurst will be celebrating senior day Saturday, honoring Johnson, Zapinski, Myles Thomas, Hooker, and Reece Taylor for their contributions to the Bluejays. 

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