Nov 22, 2011
The Elmhurst College women's basketball team improved to 4-0 by rallying past Saint Mary's University (Minn.) 63-58.
The Bluejays erased a 12-point halftime to deficit to earn the five-point victory.
Playing in its season-opening contest, Saint Mary's built a 34-22 halftime lead while Elmhurst struggled with its shooting. The Bluejays hit only 9-of-34 shots (26.5 percent) in the opening half while Saint Mary's knocked down 6-of-9 (66.7 percent) attempts from downtown.
Elmhurst used a 14-2 run early in the second half to surge past Saint Mary's and take a 41-40 lead. The Bluejays built a five-point lead on a Meghan Merklein jumper with 4:26 left on the clock, but a lay-up and a three-pointer from Jessica Thone knotted the score at 55-55 with 3:27 remaining.
Lay-ups from Jordan Maisto and Merklein put the Bluejays back on top 59-55 with 2:10 left. The Bluejays hit four of their next six free throw attempts to put the game away and earn the 63-58 victory.
After struggling in the opening half, the Bluejays shot 45.7 percent (16-of-35) in the second half to finish the contest shooting 36.2 percent (25-of-69). Elmhurst struggled from three-point range (2-of-10) and from the foul line (11-of-21).
Saint Mary's (0-1) finished the contest shooting 40.7 percent (22-of-54) from the field. The Cardinals were red hot from downtown, hitting 10-of-14 three-point attempts. The Cardinals struggled with ball control, committing 28 turnovers in the contest.
Merklein led Elmhurst with 17 points and eight rebounds. With her second bucket of the game, she became the 11th player in Elmhurst history to score over 1,000 points in her career. Megan Ney added 10 points and eight rebounds for the Bluejays. Devin Vaughn finished with nine points and six assists while Tess Godhardt and Nicki Shaffer totaled eight points apiece. Fiona McMahon came off the bench to score six points and grab a team-leading 10 rebounds.
Saint Mary's was led by Thone's 19 points. Adrianna Stephens added 10 points. Jamie Stefely pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds.
Elmhurst hosts the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point next Tuesday (November 29).
Lay-ups from Jordan Maisto and Merklein put the Bluejays back on top 59-55 with 2:10 left. The Bluejays hit four of their next six free throw attempts to put the game away and earn the 63-58 victory.
After struggling in the opening half, the Bluejays shot 45.7 percent (16-of-35) in the second half to finish the contest shooting 36.2 percent (25-of-69). Elmhurst struggled from three-point range (2-of-10) and from the foul line (11-of-21).
Saint Mary's (0-1) finished the contest shooting 40.7 percent (22-of-54) from the field. The Cardinals were red hot from downtown, hitting 10-of-14 three-point attempts. The Cardinals struggled with ball control, committing 28 turnovers in the contest.
Merklein led Elmhurst with 17 points and eight rebounds. With her second bucket of the game, she became the 11th player in Elmhurst history to score over 1,000 points in her career. Megan Ney added 10 points and eight rebounds for the Bluejays. Devin Vaughn finished with nine points and six assists while Tess Godhardt and Nicki Shaffer totaled eight points apiece. Fiona McMahon came off the bench to score six points and grab a team-leading 10 rebounds.
Saint Mary's was led by Thone's 19 points. Adrianna Stephens added 10 points. Jamie Stefely pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds.
Elmhurst hosts the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point next Tuesday (November 29).