FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Mark Albanese, Assistant Sports Information Director, 630-637-5302
Box Score
ELMHURST, Ill. (Jan. 26, 2010) -- An Elmhurst College scoring surge erased a 16-point North Central College advantage, propelling the host Bluejays to the 86-72 win Tuesday night in a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin women's basketball game at Faganel Hall.
The Bluejays jumped out to the early lead, scoring the game's first seven points. North Central countered over the next 14 minutes, outscoring Elmhurst by a 36-13 margin to take a game-high 16-point lead with 3:54 left in the opening half. The Bluejays whittled the deficit to just 10, closing the half on an 8-2 run as the Cardinals took a 38-28 lead into the break.
A 12-2 scoring surge by the home side tied the game at 40 apiece just under five minutes into the second half. The two squads would trade jabs over the next couple minutes until with under eight minutes to play, Elmhurst mounted a 10-2 run, extending a two-point edge into a 10-point bulge at 72-62 with just 5:42 remaining. The Cardinals would attempt to cut into the lead but were unable to shave the deficit to less than eight points in the 14-point defeat.
Christine Karl had 13 points at the half, ending the night with a game-high 29 points after shooting 11-for-20 from the floor as four Cardinals finished in double figures.
Jackie Errico chipped in 15 points along with a team-high six rebounds while
Jenny Swanson finished with a career-high 15 points after draining three three-pointers on the night. Latrice Newson was the fourth Cardinal in double-digits, accounting for 13 points.
Megan Ney paced the Bluejays (13-5, 6-1 CCIW), finishing with 28 points and a game-high nine boards while Lyndsie Long and Meghan Merklein added 24 and 19 points, respectively.
The Cardinals finished the game shooting 44.4 percent (24-for-54) from the field but were unable to keep pace with the Bluejays who sunk 54.5 percent (30-for-55) of their attempts.
North Central (4-14, 1-6 CCIW) returns to the hardwood on Saturday, January 30, facing Wheaton College at 5 p.m. inside Gregory Arena.
