TOKYO — Lynn native Rashida Ellis’ quest for Olympic gold came to an end late Thursday night, as the 26-year-old lightweight fell by a 3-0 split decision to Great Britain’s Caroline Dubois in a Round of 16 bout at Kokugikan Arena. Among the five judges, three scored the fight a win for Dubois and two scored it as a draw.

Bouts in Tokyo are scored using a traditional “10-point must system,” which is the most commonly-used scoring system in boxing. Five judges who are sitting around the ring will be responsible for the scoring.

At the end of each round, judges must award 10 points to the boxer who won that round. Losing boxers can receive anywhere from 6-9 points for the round, depending on the severity to which that boxer lost the round. The most common score for the losing boxer is 9 points, which means most rounds will end with a 10-9 score.

At the end of the final round, each judge will add up their round-by-round scorecard to determine a winner. If all three judges award the win to the same boxer, it’s a victory by unanimous decision. If there is disagreement among the judges, it’s considered a split decision.

The fight was about as even as could be, from start to finish. The start of the first round was more about the two fighters feeling each other out, with Dubois trying to establish her dominant jab and Ellis using her strong footwork to keep the punches at bay.

But Dubois was able to land a few key shots near the end of the round, and three judges scored the round a win for Dubois.

While Ellis came out strong in the second round and landed some good punches, Dubois pushed the pace once again and was awarded with three judges giving her a win in the round.

From there, Ellis needed a knockout in order to make up the ground she lost in the first two rounds. She came out more aggressive and tried to score the winning blow, but Dubois was able to use her height and reach advantage to stay at a distance and survive until the final bell.

While her Olympic journey is now over much earlier than she had hoped, it’s certainly not the end of Ellis’ boxing journey. She’s made it clear that she plans to turn professional following the Games, following in the footsteps of her brothers Ronald and Rashidi.