ELMHURST — The Carthage College men's basketball team surged to an early 10-point lead, but Elmhurst responded with a strong finish to each half to pull away for a 72-60 loss on Saturday night. Carthage led 17-7 in the opening minutes before the Bluejays rallied to take a 38-35 advantage into the break and used a second-half push to seal the win.

• Final Score: Elmhurst 72 - Carthage 60
• Location: Elmhurst, Illinois - R.A. Faganel Hall
• Records: Elmhurst 11-6 (4-4 CCIW), Carthage 11-6 (5-3 CCIW)

• Carthage raced out to an early 17-7 lead in the first half, highlighted by a Ryan Johnson three-pointer.
• The home team answered by tying the game at 20 on a layup with 10:32 remaining.
• AJ Johnson converted a tip-in layup to put the Firebirds back in front by four before Elmhurst knotted it again at 28.
• Elmhurst carried a 38-35 advantage into halftime.
• The Bluejays extended the margin to eight early in the second half with a three-pointer.
• Riley Brooks knocked down a pair of free throws to trim the deficit to one.
• A layup from Antuan Nesbitt and a jumper from Brooks briefly put Carthage ahead, 54-53.
• Elmhurst regained control with 3:44 left, using a three-pointer and a layup to build a 61-56 lead.
• The home team stretched the lead to nine late and closed out the 72-60 win.

• Riley Brooks recorded 27 points for Carthage on the day. 
• Ryan Johnson tallied his ninth double-double of the season, finishing with 15 rebounds and 12 points. 
• AJ Johnson added 11 points while Chris Schlesinger added four assists. 

"Tough one on the road. After getting off to a great start on the offensive end, we couldn't really find our rhythm the rest of the way. Give Elmhurst credit, they ran us off the three-point well, and we didn't do a good enough job of finishing at the rim. Uncharacteristically, we turned the ball over 12 times with only 11 assists. 
Need to regroup with a tough matchup against Augustana on Saturday."

• The Firebirds return home to play Augustana (Ill.) on Saturday, January 24, at 4:15 p.m.