Elmhurst's fast start goes for naught against Carthage
Elmhurst College's men's basketball team started off strong Wednesday night in its game against Carthage yet cooled down as the game went on, ultimately dropping a 79-68 decision to the Red Men in Elmhurst.
The Bluejays snared an 8-1 lead at the beginning of the game, backed by a pair of 3-pointers from 6-foot sophomore Matt Ryder.
Carthage (8-6, 2-1 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin) responded late in the half, though, mounting a 13-2 run to take a 39-27 halftime lead.
As the Bluejays' shooting hands cooled down, so too did their confidence, allowing Carthage to build the 12-point advantage.
"They sat back in their 2-3 zone and clogged the middle up, and (center) Brent Ruch really couldn't get going," Elmhurst coach Mark Scherer said. "That left us to make some shots and drive, and after we missed a few shots that we normally make, we got more and more passive.
"That's what a zone will do to us. You have to stay aggressive."
Carthage entered Wednesday's game aiming to shut down Ruch and Elmhurst's leading scorer, Ryan Burks. The Red Men executed perfectly, limiting the Elmhurst juniors to a single field goal between the two of them.
Ryder kept the Bluejays (11-3, 1-2) afloat in the first half, scoring 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting from the field.
"I never feel any pressure (to score). There's plenty of other guys who can score 15 any night of the week," Ryder said. "When it happens it's a good night, but obviously not in a loss."
With 8:30 remaining in the second half, Carthage freshman Steve Djurickovic banked in a 5-foot jumper, increasing the Red Men lead to 62-48 and forcing Elmhurst into a timeout. Djurickovic's 19 points led all scorers, and each of Carthage's five starters finished the game with double digits in points.
"(Djurickovic) killed us. He drove on us all night and found the open guys," Ryder said. "We know he plays a lot of minutes, so we wanted to try to tire him out. We didn't really do that very well. We were supposed to keep him driving with his left hand, and we didn't do that very well."
"They're small, but they're quick, and they spread the floor and did an outstanding job of passing the ball," Scherer said. "We were a step slow defensively. We lost our concentration, and I think it came from a frustration of not being able to score."