MILWAUKEE, Wis. - The Elmhurst University men's basketball team opened the 2024-25 campaign on Friday (Nov. 8) evening, falling to No. 15 Wisconsin Lutheran, 84-74.

Elmhurst dropped to 0-1 with the loss, while the nationally-ranked Warriors improved to 1-0 for their first win of the campaign.

Elmhurst was strong on the offensive end of the court, shooting .510 (26-for-51) on the night from the field and .444 (8-for-18) from beyond the arc. With the Warriors also tallying the same amount of made shots from the field (26) and three-pointers (eight), the difference was turnovers, as Elmhurst committed 24 turnovers which led to 21-points off those turnovers for the hosts. The Warriors also had 34 free throw attempts, making 24, from 28 fouls by the Bluejays.

Elmhurst had three in double-digits on the evening, led by Tagen Pearson's 20 points on 6-for-9 shooting, and 4-for-5 from three-point range. Aidyn Boone and Dominic Trelenberg each made their first-career starts, with Boone tallying 16 points and five rebounds and Trelenberg with 15 points and a team-high eight rebounds. Pearson and Trelenberg each had four assists to aid the Bluejay offense.

The Warriors had four in double-digits, led by 21 and 20 point performances from Grayson Goetz and Jacob Stoltz, respectively.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Both teams traded leads early in the first half, with Elmhurst crawling back from an eight-point deficit to take a 30-27 lead off a Trelenberg trey with 4:48 left in the first half. The Warriors would fight back to lead by five with under a minute remaining, but a walkoff three from Pearson cut the deficit to two at halftime, 38-36 in favor of the hosts.

After the Bluejays knotted the score twice in the opening minutes of the second period, the Warriors would run a 15-4 run in less than four minutes to lead by 11 with less than 14 to go in the game. The Bluejays would keep fighting, keeping the score within six with six minutes to go, and a five-point burst would pull Elmhurst within one and later knot the game at 70-each with three minutes to go in the game.

The Warriors were able to capitalize on missed Elmhurst shots, knocking down a pair of treys and multiple shots in the final two minutes to take the game, 84-74, in the season opener for both teams.

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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