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Men's Hoops Team Rips Millikin 98-78 in CCIW Opener
Box Score
ELMHURST, Ill. - The Elmhurst College men's basketball team, ranked 10th in the latest D3hoops.com poll, hammered Millikin University 98-78 in its CCIW opener. Elmhurst moved to 11-1 overall (1-0 CCIW) with the win while Millikin fell to 8-5 (0-1 CCIW).
Ryan Burks (Manito/Midwest Central) poured in a career-high 31 points to pace the Bluejays. Every Bluejay who played more than one minute scored points in the Elmhurst win.
After a back-and-forth start to the game's first 11 minutes, the Bluejays used a 26-11 run to build a a 48-33 lead at the half.
The Bluejays started the second half on a 15-2 run to build a 28-point advantage before Millikin attempted to claw its way back into the game. Sparked by five 3-pointers, Millikin trimmed the Elmhurst lead down to 10 points (86-76) with just over five minutes to play. Elmhurst responded by holding the Big Blue to only two points in the game's final five minutes, outscoring Millikin 12-2 to earn the 98-78 victory.
Burks passed his former career high of 29 points (set against Millikin last season) by scoring 31 on 9-of-14 shooting. He hit 4-of-7 from downtown and was a perfect 9-of-9 from the foul line. Brent Ruch (Farmer City/Blue Ridge) added 14 points, five rebounds and five steals while Chris Childs (Barrington/H.S.) came off the bench to score 11 points. Jimmy Saris (Crystal Lake/Crystal Lake South) finished with eight points and six assists while committing only one turnover. Mark Aloisio (West Chicago/Wheaton Academy) added eight points while Joe Acosta (Elmhurst/York) scored seven.
Millikin was led by Tunde Ogunleye's 17 points. John Harmsen and Joscar Demby each finished with 13 points for the Big Blue.
Elmhurst finished the game shooting 59.3 percent (32-of-54) from the floor and 47.4 percent (7-of-15) from 3-point range. After struggling the past two games from the foul lines, the Bluejays hit 93.1 percent from the charity stripe, converting 27-of-29.
Millikin shot 54. percent from the field (27-of-50) and 47.4 percent (9-of-19) from beyond the arc. The Big Blue hit 15-of-21 attempts from the foul line (71.4 percent).
Elmhurst travels to fifth-ranked Augustana College (9-3) on Saturday, January 12. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
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