By Rick Schneider

December 8, 2009

The Elmhurst College men’s basketball team has played their first five games in four different states to start off the 2009-10 season 3-2.  Despite the obstacle of playing on the road, it has been the solid play from seniors Dustin Bainter and Chris Childs that have kept the ‘Jays above .500.  

The ‘Jays began their regular season by traveling to St. Paul, Minn. to face Hamline University on Nov. 15.  

Hamline University took an early eight-point lead but the ‘Jays were able to tie the game at 38 going into halftime. 

The game remained tied until the Bluejays went on an 8-0 run to gain an advantage.  The ‘Jays kept the lead until Hamline went on their own run, bringing the game to within two points.  

Childs and Bainter combined to help lift the ‘Jays past Hamline in the final minutes. Childs hit a jumper to give the ‘Jays a four-point lead and Bainter hit a pair of free throws to extend the lead.  

The ‘Jays came away with its first win of the season winning 79-70. 

“Starting the season with a road win was very important for us,” said Bainter.  “For any team, especially a young team like us, road wins are tough to come by in college basketball. It was a good starting point and it gives us something to build off.”

Childs scored a team-high 21 points off the bench, shooting 7-of-10 and 6-6 at the free-throw line.  Sophomore Zack Boyd added 15 points off the bench, sophomore Mike McCurdy knocked down nine points, Bainter contributed eight points and junior Joe Acosta finished with seven points.    

The ‘Jays finished with a 42.4 shooting percentage from the floor and a 35.3 percent from three point range, compared to Hamline’s 32.3 shooting percentage and a 8.3 percent from beyond the arc.  Of the 79 total points, the Jays had 57 come from the bench.   

The ‘Jays would then face St. Norbert College at home on Nov. 21.   
After leading the game for more than 36 minutes the ‘Jays allowed St. Norbert to rally from a 12-point deficit.  

“[Losing] the St. Norbert game was a shock,” said McCurdy.  “We led the entire game and couldn’t make plays to close out the game. Although it was very disappointing, we learned what things we must do to maintain a lead and close out a game like that.”

The Bluejays went into half with a five-point lead despite allowing St. Norbert to go on an 11-4 run to close the half.  

St. Norbert slowly began to edge their way back into the game until they pulled within a point with less than five minutes to play, they later gained the lead for the first time all game.  

The ‘Jays tied the game at 61 with a minute to play when Boyd hit a jumper but St. Norbert capitalized with a free throw to gain a one-point advantage.  

“I think we let them back in the game by putting them on the free-throw line too many times which has been a bit of a problem for us so far this year,” said Acosta.

On the next drive Acosta’s shot was swiped off of the backboard. The ‘Jays were forced to foul on the next play but with only three seconds left to play there was not much they could do as they fell 63-61.  

“There were a couple of very questionable calls made down the stretch by the officials which also didn’t help our cause,” said Acosta.  “But it should have never come down to something like that.”

St. Norbert came out in the second half shooting 63.2 percent. St. Norbert out rebounded the ‘Jays 36-24 in a game that slipped through the ‘Jays’ fingers. 

Boyd tallied 15 points and Childs added 13 points while Bainter finished with 11.  

The ‘Jays would have to carry the loss with them as they traveled out West to California on Nov. 28.  

“It’s nice to get away, forget school for a while and just play basketball,” said Bainter. “I think it will also benefit us in the long run. On trips like that, you really have to stay focused and recognize the reason why we are in California. It is fun to sight see, but we were there to play basketball.”

However, the ‘Jays were unable to rebound as they ran into a wall against Chapman University.  

Chapman never trailed as they took a 40-30 point lead into the half.  The ‘Jays did not even get within nine points in the second half.  

Chapman shot 70.3 percent from the floor compared to the ‘Jays 45.5 while also out rebounding the ‘Jays by 12.  

“Chapman is ranked nationally and shot over 70 percent from the field,” said Acosta. “That was a game in which we were never able to really get in sync for some reason.”

In the final game of their California trip Bainter and junior Aaron Schroeder each had a career game to end the ‘Jays’ two game losing streak on Nov. 29 against the University of Redlands.  

Bainter scored a career-high 26 points while Schroeder racked up a career-high 16 points.

“We have been searching for a starting five man that rebounds and plays good defense. [Schroeder] is doing both,” said Bainter about Schroeder’s improved preformance.

At one point the ‘Jays trailed by as much as 11 points, but they managed to fight their way back into the game.  

A 31-13 point run helped extend EC’s lead to seven with less than five minutes to play before halftime but Redlands answered with a 12-4 run of their own to take the lead going into the locker room.  

The ‘Jays came out hot in the second half shooting 65.4 percent from the floor.  

Boyd recorded a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Childs scored eight points and Acosta added seven.  McCurdy had a game high five assists.  

“Playing against teams we didn’t know a lot about helped us adjust on the fly while playing in those games,” said McCurdy.  “It was a nice change of pace.”

After the long trip back the ‘Jays were again on the move as they traveled to Michigan to play Kalamazoo College.  

Yet again the ‘Jays found themselves down by double digits, but they pulled to within seven before halftime.  

The Bluejays took a two point lead after putting together a 16-5 run in the second half. Kalamazoo knotted the score at 54. Acosta put the ‘Jays back on top and a steal converted for points by Bainter gave the ‘Jays a four-point lead.  

Despite making a three-pointer Kalamazoo was unable to convert on a Bluejay turnover. Boyd converted both free throws with little time remaining to seal the 60-57 victory.  

Kalamazoo converted only two points off of ten Bluejay turnovers.  Boyd dropped a career-high 20 points while Schroeder finished with 11 points.  

Although the ‘Jays have only played a handful of games, players are starting to see leaders arise.  

“In the first couple games it has become apparent that Boyd, Bainter, and Childs all have all-conference potential,” said Acosta.  “All three of those guys have stepped up. Bainter has provided great senior leadership.”

The Bluejays will be at home to face Fontbonne University on Dec. 8.