Despite trailing 38-26 at the half, Millikin (9-11, 2-7) made it a close contest in the second half, shooting 61.5 percent after a dismal 25 percent first-half performance. Elmhurst was a steady 47.8 in the first half and 46.4 in the second for a 47.1 field goal average.
Martin had proved to be a handful by the end of the first half, tallying 22 points on 4-of-6 shooting with 13 free throws. On the other end of the court, Millikin had no one in double-digits and struggled after hitting just 6-of-24 field goal attempts, scoring more points from the free throw line (14) than the field.
But the second half was a much different story. The Big Blue opened the second half on a 20-8 run and tied the game with 10:32 left. After a steal and layup by Keanon Harrington, Millikin took its first lead and from there it became a see-saw battle to the end.
Millikin carried its largest lead, 51-46, with 9:53 left and the teams traded baskets until Martin put the Bluejays up for good with his 15th and 16th consecutive free throws with 3:49 left to play. The Bluejays couldn’t put Millikin away however, as the lead was never more than seven points in the last four minutes.
With 41 seconds left, Drew Gensler drove through the lane for a bucket to cut Elmhurst’s lead to 69-65 and Millikin was forced to start fouling. Brent Ruch hit the front end of his free throw attempts and on its next possession Elmhurst extended its lead to 62-65 after Martin fed Nick Michael for a layup.
But Millikin still kept its composure as Gensler drew a foul and sank both free throws to cut the lead to 72-67. Evan Patchett missed his first free throw and Harrington grabbed the rebound. At the other end, Gensler drew another foul, hit both free throws and cut the lead to 72-69.
With another shot to extend the lead, Patchett hit the front end of his free throw attempts with 14 seconds left and Elmhurst grabbed the offensive rebound. Chris Ihlenfeldt hit a free throw before Gensler drove the length of the court for another bucket and made it a one-possession game, 74-71 with 2 seconds left. Martin sealed the win with his 19th and 20th free throws after Millikin was called for an intentional foul.
Gensler led Millikin with 24 points after just 8 in the first half. Korte Long added 18 points and nine rebounds and Reid Jones grabbed three of Millikin’s seven steals. For Elmhurst, Martin’s 38 led the way followed by 13 from Ruch and 12 from Michael. Martin also led the Bluejays rebounding effort with 11. Elmhurst won the battle on the boards, 29-17.