ELON, N.C. – Coming off a convincing 18-point win on Saturday afternoon, the Elon women’s basketball team heads to Greensboro on Monday night, Feb. 6, for a Southern Conference matchup versus the UNCG Spartans. Tip is set for 7 p.m. inside Fleming Gym.
THE SERIES: Elon and UNCG will be meeting for the 40th time on Monday night in Greensboro. The Spartans lead the all-time series, 23-16. Elon won the first meeting versus UNCG earlier this season on Jan. 23 in Alumni Gym, putting three players in double figures, including a double-double from Kelsey Evans. Elon’s last win over the Spartans in Fleming Gym came in dramatic fashion, as an Ali Ford buzzer-beater at on Jan. 19 last season gave the Phoenix a 63-61 victory.
SHORT JAUNT: Elon’s road trip to Greensboro is the team’s shortest of the season (20 miles). Conversely, the team’s longest trip of the season was to face conference-foe Samford in Birmingham, Ala., on Jan. 28 (500 miles).
ON THE HORIZON: Following Monday’s game at UNCG, Elon returns home on Saturday, Feb. 11, at 2 p.m. to face Davidson. Including Saturday’s game, Elon has just two remaining home games. The Phoenix hosts Wofford on Feb. 25 before welcoming Western Carolina to Alumni Gym on Feb. 27 for Senior Night.
DYNAMIC DUO: Ali Ford and Kelsey Evans both scored 20+ points for Elon in a 76-58 win over Furman on Feb. 4. Ford scored a game-high 26 points while Evans finished the night with 20. The last time Elon had two players score 20+ points in a game was on Feb. 19 last season when Ford scored 21 points and Aiesha Harper scored 20 against Samford.
HOME COOKING: Elon improved to 8-2 at home this season with an 18-point win over Furman on Feb. 4. The Phoenix has won four straight in Alumni Gym, outscoring opponents by an average of 9.5 points. On the season, Elon is outscoring opponents by an 11.3 point margin in Alumni Gym. The Phoenix has knocked down a total of 75 three-pointers at home and has limited its opponents to just 37 makes from long distance.
STOP, THIEF!: Kallie Hovatter gave the Phoenix a spark off the bench against Furman on Feb. 4, as the senior went for nine points, five rebounds and five steals in a career-high 28 minutes. Hovatter’s five steals are a career-high and the most in a single game by an Elon player this season.
LONG DISTANCE LEADER: Ali Ford became Elon’s all-time three-point leader against Samford on Jan. 28, passing Loretta Lawson’s mark of 234 career three-point field goals. With five makes from beyond the arc against Furman on Feb. 4, Ford has now connected on 245 career shots from long distance.
DOWN THE STRETCH: In the final five minutes of games this season, Kelsey Evans has hit a team-best 17 field goals and is shooting 77 percent from the field. Evans has also made 13-of-14 shots from the free throw line. Evans and Ali Ford have combined to make 26-of-28 shots from the charity stripe in the final five minutes of games this season.
CRASHING THE BOARDS: Kelsey Harris has been a key component in getting the Phoenix second-chance points this season, as the sophomore from Gastonia, N.C., has hauled down a team-best 48 offensive rebounds this season (2.2 per game), which ranks in the top-12 in the Southern Conference.
CLOSING IN ON THE TOP 5: With 26 points against Furman on Feb. 4, Ali Ford went over the 1,400-point plateau and now sits at 1,401 career points. Ford needs three points to pass Holly Andrews for fifth all-time in scoring in program history.
ROAD TO ASHEVILLE: The 2012 Southern Conference Tournament is scheduled for March 2-5 in Asheville, N.C. Kimmel Arena will play host to the first round and quarterfinal games on March 2-3 before the tournament shifts to the Asheville Civic Center for the semifinals and championship on March 4-5.