ELMHURST, Ill. – The Elmhurst men's basketball team completed the season sweep of Carthage College with a convincing 96-70 win at R.A. Faganel Hall.

Elmhurst, ranked ninth in the latest D3hoops.com poll, upped its record to 18-3 overall and 8-2 in the CCIW with the win. Carthage slipped to 8-13 overall and 2-8 in conference play.

Kyle Wuest scored the game's opening bucket just 11 seconds into the contest, and Elmhurst never trailed for the rest of the contest.  With the score even at 2-2, the Bluejays scored 10 consecutive points to build a quick double-digit advantage. Carthage used an 8-0 run over 1:20 span midway through the half to close to within two with 10:25 left. Elmhurst answered back with a 12-2 run over the next 2:30 to open up a 10-point cushion. The Bluejays led 53-42 at the half.

Elmhurst put the game out of reach midway through the second half. Leading by 11 with 11 minutes to play, the Bluejays ripped off a 17-4 run over the next 3:30 to build a commanding 24-point lead. Bryant Ackerman helped spark the Bluejays' run with six straight points for Elmhurst.

Carthage came no closer than a 20-point deficit over the final 7:30 minutes, as the Bluejays coasted to the 26-point victory.

Erik Crittenden led the way for Elmhurst, pouring in 22 points while shooting 9-of-16 from the floor. The 22 points was only two points shy of matching his season high. Kyle Wuest added 16 points and a game-high seven assists. Wuest shot 4-of-7 from the field and went to the foul line eight times, hitting seven free throws. Ackerman added 14 points and five rebounds while Will Nixon totaled 10 points and a team-best six boards in the win. Peyton Wyatt and Jalen Loving added eight points apiece for the Bluejays.

Elmhurst finished the contest shooting an even 50.0 percent from the floor (37-of-74). The Bluejays did the bulk of their damage inside, outscoring Carthage 54-26 in the paint while outrebounding the Red Men 41-37. Elmhurst took advantage of 18 Carthage turnovers, converting the mistakes into 20 points.

Carthage shot 40.7 percent (22-of-54) from the field, including 31.8 percent (7-of-22) from downtown. Kiston Lee paced the Red Men with a double-double of 12 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. Tony Pierce Jr. led the team in scoring with 15 while Jordan Kedrowski also reached double figures in scoring, finishing with 12 points.

Elmhurst looks for its third straight win on Saturday, February 6, when the Bluejays welcome Wheaton College to R.A. Faganel Hall. Tip-off is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.