ELMHURST, Ill. - The Elmhurst University men's basketball team took down The University of Olivet, 66-50, Wednesday (Nov. 13) evening inside R.A. Faganel Hall for their first victory of the 2024-25 campaign.

The Bluejays improved to 1-1 with the victory, while Olivet fell to 1-2 overall.

Elmhurst never trailed in their home-opener, taking an 11-point lead into halftime and fending off a surging Comets squad to take the victory. The Bluejays cleaned up mistakes from their season opener, only turning the ball over 11 times and commiting 12 fouls in the contest. The Elmhurst defense was also overwhelming, forcing 15 Olivet turnovers and holding the visitors to 34.3% shooting from the field and 10.0% from three.

Dominic Trelenberg broke out for the Jays, scoring a career-high 26 points on 10-for-14 shooting, also grabbing seven rebounds and three assists. Tagen Pearson and Jaiden Malichi were the closest Bluejays to Trelenberg in the points category with nine each, with Pearson notching a team-high four assists. Aidyn Boone and Robert Roscziewicz contributed six boards each in a 43 rebound effort for the home team.

Olivet had two players in double figures, with Connor Schipper leading the way with 16 points and Nathan Richardson contributing 11.

HOW IT HAPPENED

It was a tough defensive battle early in the game, as both teams combined for 11 baskets in the first ten minutes, putting Elmhurst up 16-13 midway through the opening period. A pair of treys from Trelenberg and Pearson would extend the lead to seven, and another seven-point burst gave Elmhurst a 30-19 lead with 5:45 left in the half. Both teams would trade baskets in the waning minutes of the first half to allow Elmurst to take an 11 point lead at the break.

The Comets would come out strong in the second half, scoring eight-straight points in less than two minutes to cut the deficit to three and force a Bluejay timeout to regroup. Elmhurst would respond in a big way out of the reset to the tune of a 16-2 run to open a 17-point lead with 14:44 to go.

Elmhurst would up their lead by as many as 21 in the second half, keeping the pressure on defense and cruising to a 66-50 win on their home court.

UP NEXT

The Bluejays play their home opener at R.A. Faganel Hall next Wednesday, Nov. 13, hosting The University of Olivet at 7:00 pm.

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