NAPERVILLE, Ill. – The Bluejays opened up an early lead and never looked back on Saturday night, taking a 66-57 road win at North Central to formally secure their spot in the CCIW Men's Basketball Tournament later this month.

Luke Smith and Vinnie Adjahoungbeta each scored 15 points in the win, as Adjahoungbeta added eight rebounds and shot 4-for-5 from three-point range. Sebastian Blachut went 4-for-4 from the floor to post 13 points, while Aidyn Boone collected a game-high 13 rebounds with four steals and seven points.

The Cardinals would score off the opening tip for their only lead of the game, as the Jays went on a 15-2 run over the next five minutes to take an 11-point lead early on. Elmhurst would lead by as much as 13 points in the first half, after Smith's jumper at the 4:24 mark made it a 28-15 lead. North Central would respond with six straight points and narrow the Jays' advantage to 30-21 at the halftime break.

In the second half, Elmhurst would briefly increase their lead to 17 after an Adjahoungbeta free throw with 8:23 remaining, 53-36, but the Cardinals and Bluejays would play to a 36-36 stalemate in the second half.

With the win, Elmhurst clinches no worse than the No. 5 seed at the CCIW Tournament in two weeks. The Bluejays and lock in a home game for the first round of the tournament with another win over their final two regular season games, starting on Wednesday night when the Jays host Carroll. Tipoff with the Pioneers from Faganel Hall is set for 7:00 p.m. on Feb. 18.