ELMHURST, Ill. - The Benedictine University men's basketball team improved to 3-0 on the season by scoring a road win over eighth-ranked Elmhurst College in a 94-86 decision.
FINAL SCORE
Benedictine 94, Elmhurst 86
THE DETAILS
• Benedictine knocked down nine first-half three-pointers and shot 51.6 percent from the field to open a commanding 47-19 lead at the half but needed to hold off a frantic charge in the final five minutes
• Benedictine did not trail in the game opening an 8-0 lead just two minutes into the game after two free throws from Adam Reynolds
• The lead swelled rapidly, reaching double figures at 16-6 on three from John Dodson at the 14:22 mark
• Tahron Harvey opened a 9-0 run with a three-pointer with 12:45 remaining in the first while a layup from Reynolds made the score 28-8 with 7:49 left
• Consecutive threes at the end of the half accounted for the margin at the break
• Elmhurst outscored Benedictine 67-47 in the second half, pulling within five points in the final minute
• The largest second half lead reached 27 points on three occasions including a dunk from Luke Johnson
• Leading by 22 points with 5:23 remaining at 79-57, Benedictine was outscored 29-15 to close the game, knocking down six consecutive free throws to seal the win
• Benedictine has opened the season with three wins against the CCIW, one of the top conferences in the region, and has two more non-conference games against CCIW opponents this season
• Elmhurst is the second ranked CCIW opponent that Benedictine has defeated on the road after opening the year with a win at #24 Illinois Wesleyan
• Elmhurst is the highest ranked opponent that Benedictine has bested since a home victory over fourth-ranked Illinois Wesleyan in last year's season opener
FROM THE COACH
"I am very proud of the win, especially coming on the road against such a great opponent," head coach Keith Bunkenburg said. "We played great for 32 minutes before another team showed up down the stretch. We finished with 21 turnovers and gave up a lot of offensive rebounds late in the game. We have to learn to stay aggressive when teams pressure us."
STAT LEADERS
• The rotation was just nine deep in the contest with the starters scoring all but 10 points
• All five starters scored in double figures with none scoring less than 14
• Harvey scored a career high 22 points in 34 minutes
• Dodson, Michael Blaszczyk, and Reynolds each netted 16
• The 16 points for Reynolds established a Benedictine career high
• Johnson notched 14 and paced Benedictine with eight rebounds
• Benedictine held a 43-41 advantage on the glass and overcame 21 turnovers
• Benedictine matched a season high by making 10 three-pointers
• Benedictine finished the night 24-for-35 from the line
• For the contest, Benedictine shot 48.4 percent
UP NEXT
Benedictine (3-0) travels to Rockford on Tuesday night to open conference play