Although they never trailed after three minutes of play, the Bluejays struggled in the first half, shooting just 34.4 percent from the floor (11-of-32) while Marian hit 56.5 percent of its shots (13-of-23). Despite being outshot, Elmhurst carried a 38-35 lead into the locker room at halftime.
The Bluejays picked up the offense and the defense in the second half. Elmhurst hit 60 percent of its shots (15-of-25) while holding Marian to just 29 percent shooting (9-of-31) while outscoring the Sabres 39-25 in the half.
Elmhurst finished the contest shooting 45.6 percent from the floor (26-of-57) and 35 percent (7-of-20) from 3-point range. The Bluejays converted 18-of-23 free throw attempts (78.3 percent).
Marian shot 40.7 percent from the field (22-of-54) and 35.3 percent from downtown (6-of-17). The Sabres hit 10-pf-16 free throw attempts (62.5 percent).
The Bluejays dominated the game on the glass, outrebounding Marian by 25 (47-22). Elmhurst also had a 17-7 advantage on the offensive glass, leading to 17 second-chance points.
Chris Martin led all scorers with 22 points. He also pulled down nine rebounds and dished out four assists in the win. Nick Michael added 13 points and eight rebounds. Evan Patchett and Pat Bacon each came off the bench to score nine points. Dave Gershenzon returned to the floor for the first time in almost a month after missing six games with a back injury, and scored six points in just five minutes.
Marain was led by Nick Vogt's 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting. Jake Harmsen chipped in with 11 points while Jordan Van Ess finished with nine.
The Bluejays will face Olivet College in the championship game of the Bluejay Classic on Saturday (December 17) at 4:00 p.m. Olivet advanced by defeating Buena Vista University 77-67 in the tournament's first game.