ELMHURST, Ill. - The Elmhurst University men's basketball team downed the North Central Cardinals, 84-80, Tuesday evening inside R.A. Faganel Hall. 

The Bluejays (17-9, 8-8 CCIW) led for the entirety of the second half, withstanding multiple Cardinal scoring runs to run away with their first victory of the postseason. Ocean Johnson led the way for Elmhurst, knocking down 28 points on 12-for-17 shooting from the field, including a 4-for-5 mark from behind the arc. Jonathan Zapinski tallied 17 points, six rebounds, and five blocks on the evening, while Wesley Hooker recorded a double-double of ten points and 11 rebounds, also stealing the ball and blocking a shot three times and recording six assists. Tagen Pearson rounded out the scoring for the Bluejays, tallying 14 points including the game-sealing free throws with time winding down.

North Central (14-12, 8-8 CCIW) were led by a game-high 33 points from Matt Helwig, who also recorded six rebounds and five assists on the evening. Mitch Lewis was th eonly other Cardinal in double figures, tallying a 19 point, ten rebound double-double.

The two teams were virtually neck-and-neck on the stat sheet, but the Bluejays took advantage in the paint, outscoring the visitors 36-26 in the painted area. 

The Cardinals jumped out to an early advantage, leading 13-8 after the first media timeout of the evening. A trey and a jumper from Johnson at the 13:07 mark put the Bluejays ahead for the first time in the game, 18-17, and a jumper from Zapinski extended the lead to three. Both teams traded baskets, with Johnson and Hooker continuing the scoring, but the Cardinals were able to answer each time and took a two-poitn advantage with less than three to go in the half.

A quick layup from Hooker and a close-range jumper from Pearson put the Bluejays ahead by two, but a late pair of free throws from the Cardinals knotted the game at 39 heading into the intermission.

Elmhurst started hot in the second half, with a pair of baskets from Zapinski and Johnson extending the lead out of the half to six. Another six-point burst from the Bluejays including a pair of jumpers from Myles Thomas extended the lead to 11 with 14:39 to go. After baskets from the Cardinals kept the visitors within striking distance, Johnson knocked a trey and slammed down a thunderous dunk to bring the fans inside R.A. Faganel Hall on their feet, and the Bluejays to an 11-point advantage midway through the second half. 

North Central continued to fight, scoring a 7-0 run to bring the score within one possession for the visitors with 3:37 to go. The Bluejays continued to hit their shots, with Johnson continuing his hot scoring streak, but a pair of treys from Matt Helwig kept the Cardinals within three with just 1:31 on the clock.

After another pair of points from Helwig again brought the score within three, this time with just 29 seconds remaining, the Bluejay defense and a trio of points from the charity line from Pearson sealed Elmhurst's 84-80 victory on their home court.

UP NEXT

With the win, Elmhurst will advance to Friday night's CCIW semifinal, taking on top-seeded and No. 6 Wheaton College at 7:15 p.m. CT in the second of two semifinal games Friday. The game will take place in King Arena on the campus of Wheaton College, and Elmhurst students receive free admission with a valid student ID.

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