Benedictine falls to Elmhurst
Tamika Curtis got her record, but Elmhurst College got the victory.
Despite 22 points from Benedictine University's new all-time leading scorer, the Bluejays forced 21 turnovers to defeat Benedictine 78-69 in a nonconference women's basketball game in Elmhurst.
That final score was why Curtis couldn't bask in the glow of her new standing.
"It felt good," she said of the record, noting she would have preferred a triumph.
Elmhurst (4-7) used its press to force 21 turnovers in the game, many of them early as the Bluejays jumped to a 21-9 lead. They took a 36-27 margin into the locker room at halftime.
"We rely a lot on our press, and we really try to get a lot of points off the press," first-year Elmhurst coach Tethnie Forbes said. "For us we live and die on our press."
They almost died with it in the second half, when Benedictine tied the game at 49 on a Curtis layup.
"We got a little too aggressive and started fouling," Forbes said.
It also helped Benedictine that Curtis saw more playing time in the second half after spending time on the bench in the first with 2 fouls. It wasn't an accident that she got into trouble.
"Curtis is really solid for them," said Forbes, who told her post players not to fade away from Curtis when shooting, even if it meant risking a blocked shot. "That was our plan."
Elmhurst managed to pull away again, gradually building up its lead.
"We caught up and fought back a little bit, but we couldn't come up with the shots," Curtis said.
The Eagles (3-7) looked to Curtis early, trying to get her the 4 points needed to break the record. The record came at 17:08 of the first half, when she took an entry pass on the right block from the wing and scored an easy layup. She now has 1,582 points after passing Jennifer Olson's mark. Olson played from 1998 to 2002.
Curtis also had 13 rebounds and 4 blocks.
Elmhurst was led by Brittany Bobruk, who scored 20 points, and Lyndsie Long, who had 15.
"They both have been good every game," Forbes said of Bobruk and Long. "We look at them for leadership. We go where they go."