The Millikin men's basketball team won its fourth straight game defeating Elmhurst College 77-72 on Jan. 9 in the Griswold Center in Decatur, Ill.  The win was the Big Blue's third CCIW win in-a-row to open conference play.  Millikin is now 7-7, 3-0 while Elmhurst falls to 4-10, 0-3.

          The game was typical tight and physical College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin battle.  The Big Blue took the lead for good four minutes into the game at 8-7.  The Big Blue would built a nine point advantage with five minutes left in the half and went to the locker room up 39-32 at the half.  The Bluejays stuck with Millikin in the second half with the Big Blue not able to gain more than a seven point advantage until the last five minutes of the game.  Millikin would go up 69-59 with three and half minutes left in the game, but the Big Blue struggled from the free throw line allowing the Bluejays to take the game down to the wire.

          Millikin shot 54.5 percent from the field including 64 percent in the first half.   Millikin was 5-7 from three point range in the first half, but hit only 2-9 in the second half.  After converting on 6-8 free throws in the first half, Millikin struggled in the second half hitting only 16-28 to finish the game at 61 percent from the charity stripe.

          Elmhurst shot 48 percent from the field and 32 percent from three point range.  The Bluejays were 12-15 (80 percent) from the free throw line.

          Millikin out rebounded the Bluejays 30-27. 

          Chase Robbins led Millikin with 17 points scoring 13 points in the second half.  Robbins gave the Big Blue a lift at the free throw line going 6-7 with most of those coming in the game's final minutes.  Elijah Kinmon had 16 points.  Trent Windemuller scored 11.  Windemuller was 3-3 from three point range in the first half.  TJ Griffin had nine points, five rebounds three assists and three steals.  Deavis Johnson pulled down a team high six rebounds, scored nine points and had two steals.  Jaylon Owens had eight points, four rebounds and three assists.

          Elmhurst had four players in double figures in scoring led by former Decatur St. Teresa star Nick Sanford with 17.  D'Ante Foster added 15 and Alex Morgunov and Taylor Baxter each had 10.  Sanford had a game high seven rebounds.

          Millikin three straight conference wins matches a streak of three in-a-row to end the 1999-2000 season when Millikin ended the year with straight CCIW wins including two in double overtime.  Millikin's 3-0 CCIW start is the first time Millikin has been 3-0 in conference since 1980-81 when the Big Blue won its first seven conference games (not all conference games where played in-a-row at that time).

          Millikin will travel to Wheaton College in Wheaton, Ill. on Saturday, Jan. 12 for a 7 p.m. start.