The Carthage College men's basketball team (6-8, 2-2 College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin) evened its conference record at 2-2 on Wednesday, Jan. 14 by upsetting No. 22 Elmhurst College (12-3, 2-2 CCIW), 70-68, at R.A. Faganel Hall in Elmhurst, Ill.

There were two ties and four lead changes in the first half, with Carthage leading by as much as six points on two occasions.  The Red Men took a two-point lead into halftime, 32-30.  Carthage took a seven-point lead in the second half, 41-34, at 17:02, but 10 lead changes and four ties followed.  The Bluejays were leading by three, 68-65, at 1:39 after Kyle Wuest connected on a pair of free throws.  Donte Logan's three-point play at 1:02 tied the game, 68-68.  Elmhurst turned the ball over with 34 second to play, and the Red Men's Brad Kruse sank a layup with three seconds to go for the winning, 70-68 margin.

Carthage shot 43 percent (24-56), including eight-of-18 from three-point range, while Elmhurst shot 46 percent (20-44), including four-of-11 three-pointers.  The Red Men got to the free-throw line 22 times and made 14, while the Bluejays connected on 24-of-28.  Elmhurst out-rebounded Carthage by a 34-28 margin.

Ellis Matthews (Jr., Libertyville, Ill.) led Carthage with 17 points on six-of-16 field goals, along with four-of-five free throws and six rebounds.  Sean Valentine (Jr., Cary, Ill./Crystal Lake-Prairie Ridge) came off the bench to score 13 points on three-of-four shooting, including two-of-two three-pointers, along with five-of-six from the free-throw line and five boards.  Brad Kruse (Fr., Hawthorn Woods, Ill./Lake Zurich) scored 10 points, including the game-winning layup.  Kyle Wuest led the Bluejays with 17 points and four rebounds, while Will Nixon had 14 points and a game-high 10 boards. 

Carthage plays host to conference-opponent Millikin University (6-9, 1-3 CCIW) on Saturday, Jan. 17 in a 7 p.m. game at Tarble Arena in Kenosha, Wis.