CHICAGO, Ill. – The ninth-ranked Elmhurst men's basketball came overcame an eight-point second-half deficit to score a key 89-85 road victory over North Park.
Elmhurst, ranked ninth in the latest D3hoops.com poll, improved to 20-3 overall and 10-2 in the CCIW with the victory. North Park slipped to 14-9 overall and 6-6 in league play. With the victory, the Bluejays reached the 20-victory mark in back-to-back seasons for the first time in school history. It also marked the fifth time in program history the squad has reached 20 victories in a season. Elmhurst also matched the 2000-01 squad for the fastest to 20 victories, reaching the mark in just their 23rd game of the season.
The first half featured five lead changes and four ties as the two squads traded buckets early. Elmhurst scored the game's first six points, only to see the Vikings score the next nine and surge in front. North Park led by as many as four points early, but Elmhurst erased the deficit and pulled even at 17-17 with 7:49 remaining. A three-pointer from Kyle Wuest put Elmhurst in front 20-17. Elmhurst matched its biggest lead of the night at six points after Wuest connected on another trey to put the Bluejays in front 25-19. Elmhurst led 30-24 after a three-pointer from Eric Leonard, but back-to-back triples from Michael Hutchinson and Joe Biko pulled North Park even at 30-all with just over two minutes remaining in the half.
A Bryant Ackerman free throw gave Elmhurst a 31-30 lead, but a Ray Rubio jumper with 31 seconds left gave the Vikings a 32-31 lead at the half. The Vikings were red hot from downtown in the opening half, splashing home 7-of-14 three-pointers. Elmhurst won the glass battle in the opening half, outrebounding North Park 24-13.
The two teams traded buckets for the next three minutes as the lead changed hands six times. Trailing by one with 3:32 left to play, Will Nixon hit a pair of free throws to put the Bluejays in front for good at 74-73. A layup from Wuest and an Ackerman three-pointer gave the Bluejays a six-point cushion with 1:48 left to play.
The Bluejays built a seven-point cushion with 1:00 remaining after a two free throws from Crittenden, but the five straight points from Juwan Henry cut Elmhurst's lead down to just two with 33 seconds remaining.
Elmhurst was able to seal the victory from the foul line, hitting all 10 of its attempts in the final minute, including 6-of-6 in the final 22 seconds.
The Bluejays finished the contest shooting 51.0 percent (26-of-51) from the floor, including 42.9 percent (6-of-14) from downtown. The Bluejays were rock solid from the free throw line, hitting 31-of-37 attempts to shoot 83.8 percent for the contest. Elmhurst also won the rebounding battle by 18, finishing with a 42-24 edge on the glass. The Bluejays outscored the Vikings in the paint 35-18.
Wuest exploded for a team-high 24 points to pace Elmhurst in the win. The senior guard shot 7-of-12 from the floor, including 3-of-6 from downtown. He added five rebounds and three assists in the win. Crittendedn added 13 points while Nixon and Leonard scored 10 points apiece. Crittenden finished with a team-leading five assists in the victory. Ackerman totaled nine points and Pat Coleman scored eight for the Bluejays.
North Park shot 48.2 percent (27-of-56) from the floor in the loss. The Vikings were red hot from long range, knocking down 14-of-27 attempts from beyond the three-point arc (51.9 percent). North Park struggled from the foul line, hitting just 16-of-26 attempts from the line. Henry paced the Vikings with 29 points, shooting 8-of-16 from the floor, including 4-of-7 from downtown. Jordan Robinson added 13 points and seven rebounds while Hutchinson came off the bench to score 13, knocking down 4-of-7 attempts from downtown. T.J. Cobbs totaled seven rebound and seven assists in the loss.