Despite being outshot 60.5 percent (26-of-43) to 55.9 percent (33-of-59) from the floor and 50 percent (5-of-10) to 38.1 percent (8-of-21) from beyond the arc, the Bluejays came away with the 24-point win.
North Park led 3-2 in the opening minute before the Bluejays grabbed the lead for good. Chris Martin was on fire in the first half, connecting on 9-of-11 shots from the floor, including 5-of-7 from downtown. He finished the first half with 23 points in 14 minutes.
Elmhurst led by as many as 16 in the first half and carried a 47-33 lead into the locker room at halftime.
After North Park cut the deficit down to 12 points early in the second-half, Elmhurst used a 19-6 run to grab a commanding 68-43 lead. The Bluejays led by as many as 27 points and cruised to the 87-63.
Elmhurst dominated on the glass, outrebounding North Park 34-18. North Park was held to just one offensive rebound for the entire game.
The Bluejays took advantage of North Park's mistakes, turning 16 Vikings turnovers into 26 points.
Martin led all scorers with 27 points on 10-of-17 shooting from the floor. He finished 6-of-10 from beyond the arc. Nick Michael pumped in 17 points and grabbed eight boards. Brent Ruch added 11 points. Evan Patchett came off the bench to score nine. Brian Lee finished with seven points and seven assists.
North Park was led by Brett Mathison's 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the floor. Bjorn Berg added 12 points and Jay Alexander finished with nine in the loss.
With Augustana, Illinois Wesleyan and North Central all losing tonight, the Bluejays moved into a second-place tie in the CCIW standings. Elmhurst and Illinois Wesleyan share identical 8-4 CCIW records. The Bluejays moved a game in front of North Central in the standings. The Cardinals slipped to 7-5 with a loss to Carthage College.
The Bluejays' magic number to clinch a spot in the CCIW tournament moves to one. An Elmhurst win or a Wheaton College loss would guarantee Elmhurst a spot in the first ever league tournament. The tournament winner will receive the CCIW's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
The Bluejays finish the season by hosting North Central on Wednesday, January 18, and then travel to Wheaton on Saturday, February 18.
North Park University vs Elmhurst College 2/11/06 7:30 p.m. at Elmhurst, Ill. - R.A. Faganel Hall At Elmhurst, Ill. - R.A. Faganel Hall ELMHURST COLLEGE 87, NORTH PARK UNIVERSITY 63 NORTH PARK UNIVERSITY (4-19/2-10 CCIW) MATHISEN, BRETT 6-10 2-2 15; BERG, BJORN 5-9 0-0 12; ALEXANDER, JAY 5-9 0-2 10; BURNETT, DEVIN 4-5 0-3 9; SARGENT, JEREMIAH 2-2 1-2 5; VENTURA, MICHAEL 1-3 2-3 4; BUCKERT, KEVIN 1-1 0-0 3; WILLERT, KEITH 1-2 1-2 3; WHITAKER, ED 1-1 0-0 2; DEJONG, BRAD 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 26-43 6-14 63. ELMHURST COLLEGE (16-7/8-4 CCIW) Martin, Chris 10-17 1-2 27; Michael, Nick 4-7 9-11 17; Ruch, Brent 5-7 1-1 11; Patchett, Evan 3-4 2-3 9; Bacon, Pat 4-6 0-3 8; Lee, Brian 3-7 0-0 7; Ihlenfeldt, Chris 1-8 0-0 2; Aloisio, Mark 1-1 0-0 2; Burks, Ryan 1-1 0-0 2; O'Conell, Dan 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 33-59 13-20 87. North Park University......... 33 30 - 63 Elmhurst College.............. 47 40 - 87 3-point goals-North Park University 5-10 (BERG, BJORN 2-3; BUCKERT, KEVIN 1-1; BURNETT, DEVIN 1-1; MATHISEN, BRETT 1-2; WILLERT, KEITH 0-1; DEJONG, BRAD 0-1; ALEXANDER, JAY 0-1), Elmhurst College 8-21 (Martin, Chris 6-10; Patchett, Evan 1-2; Lee, Brian 1-3; Bacon, Pat 0-1; Ihlenfeldt, Chris 0-4; Ruch, Brent 0-1). Fouled out--North Park University-VENTURA, MICHAEL, Elmhurst College-None. Rebounds-North Park University 18 (MATHISEN, BRETT 5), Elmhurst College 34 (Michael, Nick 8). Assists-North Park University 11 (MATHISEN, BRETT 5), Elmhurst College 13 (Lee, Brian 7). Total fouls-North Park University 20, Elmhurst College 17. A-619