ELMHURST, Ill. – The Elmhurst University men's basketball team advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division III men's basketball championship by cruising to a 95-70 win over Washington and Jefferson College at a jam-packed R.A. Faganel Hall.
Elmhurst improved to 23-6 on the season with the win. The Bluejays led from wire-to-wire and never trailed in the contest.
The Bluejays scored the first 10 points of the game and never looked back. Washington & Jefferson (24-5) hit a free throw to make the score 10-1, but the Bluejays scored four straight to move in front by 13. Washington & Jefferson was never able to get the deficit down to single digits as Elmhurst slowly added to its lead. The Bluejays led 25-7 with 11:24 left to play in the half. Leading by 12 with 8:17 left, Elmhurst closed the half on a 23-11 run to carry a 55-31 lead into the locker room at the half.
The Presidents managed to pull to within 18 points early in the second half, but would come no closer as the Bluejays used a 16-4 run to open up a 30-point lead with 11 minutes to go before coasting to the 25-point win.
Four players reached double figures in scoring to lead the Bluejays. Ocean Johnson led the way with a career-high 22 points, shooting 8-of-10 from the floor while adding five rebounds. Wesley Hooker added 20 points and six assists while Lavon Thomas finished with 15 points and eight rebounds. Dominic Genco came off the bench to score 10. Jake Rhode finished with eight points, seven assists and three steals while Bryce Drews added seven points and seven rebounds for Elmhurst.
The Bluejays shot 49.3 percent (36-of-73) from the floor and finished with 24 assists while committing just six turnovers. Elmhurst added nine blocks and 10 steals in the victory. Elmhurst outscored Washington & Jefferson 21-8 on the fast break.
Washington and Jefferson shot 46.3 percent (31-of-67) from the floor in the loss. The Presidents hit 6-of-24 3-point attempts on the night. Four players finished with double-figures in scoring. Michael Bigley and Isaiah Langston led the Presidents with 15 points apiece. Langston finished with a double-double by pulling down a team-high 11 rebounds. Nick Gearhart added 14 points while Okikiola Agbale added eight points, six rebounds and six assists.
With their win, the Bluejays will face Pomona-Pitzer tomorrow at 5:40 p.m. The game will be a match-up of the scheduled Sweet 16 contest from the 2020 season that was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Tickets go one sale at 4:40 p.m.