Elmhurst, Ill. -- The Wheaton women's basketball team wrapped up its regular season road travels on Saturday afternoon with a visit to Elmhurst University for an important CCIW matchup. Just as she did in the home fixture against today's opponents, Annie Tate scored over 30 points to lead all players, but the hosts managed to secure a 73-55 victory to snap a 12-game losing streak to the Thunder. Wheaton's conference record is now 4-10 and Elmhurst improves to 6-9 with Saturday's result amid a tight battle for the CCIW Tournament qualification spots.

Wheaton posted superior shooting percentages from the floor, from behind the three-point line, and from the foul line in today's game. The Thunder made 11 of their 13 free throws and shot 64% from the field in the fourth quarter, while holding Elmhurst to a 33% field goal mark and just six three-point conversions on 28 attempts. But the Bluejays out-rebounded their visitors thanks to 15 offensive boards and won the turnover battle at a notable 24-10 disparity, as the hosts' high-press and fast tempo made life difficult for Wheaton. Elmhurst secured telling advantages in points off of turnovers, second chance opportunities, and points from bench players that ultimately helped the home team claim an impressive and important result.

Tate collected 32 points off of a 65% shooting performance to earn a game-high scoring total while also leading all players in blocked shots and three-point baskets and grabbing five rebounds. Kate Oliver scored eight points and led the Thunder in rebounding with six boards to her credit. Lily Caddow contributed four points and two assists in her 14 minutes of action, and Alyssa Faberowski earned a joint team-high three assists and grabbed five rebounds.

A three-pointer from Oliver gave Wheaton an early 4-2 edge, and the sophomore registered the first six points of the day for the guests. But trailing 8-7 at the midway point of the first quarter, Elmhurst closed out the frame with a 6-2 run via six made free throws and held the lead for the rest of the contest. Wheaton outscored the Bluejays 21-18 in the fourth quarter and opened the period on a 10-0 surge to trim the deficit down to 11 points, but the hosts stemmed the tide with a 9-2 spurt in the following minutes to effectively seal the victory.

With two games remaining in the regular season, Wheaton is still alive in the hunt for a CCIW Tournament berth. But the Thunder will have to win both of next week's contests and hope that the Bluejays fall in their final matchup to have a chance of sneaking into the postseason competition. Wheaton returns to King Arena on Wednesday night to host the Carthage Firebirds in a 7 PM tip.