Elon Phoenix Women’s Basketball Tops UNCW with Redmond’s Record Steals

ELON, N.C. – Shon Redmond tied an Elon game record with 10 steals as the Elon women’s basketball team (2-1) picked up a 67-61 victory over UNC Wilmington (0-3) tonight, Nov. 18, in Alumni Gym.

“Shon Redmond always changes the complexion of the game defensively and she definitely came off the bench in the first half to give us a spark,” said Elon head coach Charlotte Smith. “She did an outstanding job of playing the type of defense we want. These games early in the season are teaching us how to win and how to stay poised. This is a character win for us and I thought we showed a lot of veteran experience tonight.”

Kelsey Evans picked up her second straight double-double with 13 points and 10 boards. Ali Ford led all players with 19 points, while Sam Coffer also tallied 10 rebounds. Redmond fell just short of a double-double, contributing nine points along with her 10 steals to the Phoenix victory.

Elon shot 38 percent from the field after making 26-of-68, while UNCW made 21-of-56 to shoot 37 percent. The Phoenix controlled the Seahawks on the glass, pulling down 49 boards to UNCW’s 34. The Seahawks held the advantage at the charity stripe, shooting 73 percent after making 14-of-19.

The Phoenix jumped out to a five-point lead to start the game off a layup by Coffer and a three by Ford. With the Elon lead at just two with under 12 minutes remaining, the maroon and gold went on a 9-0 run that was capped by a Redmond jumper at the 9:48 mark to extend the advantage to 11, 27-16. The Seahawks whittled its deficit down to four, 30-26, to force an Elon timeout with 4:01 on the clock. The Phoenix would take a 37-30 edge into the locker room after the first 20.

The Seahawks came out strong in the second half and grabbed the lead by six, 59-53, at the 5:12 mark. Ford closed the gap to three by knocking down a huge three pointer and then tied the game at 59-all with three free throws after being fouled by UNCW’s Jessica Freeman. A jumper by Jessica Farmer with the help of one of Redmond’s steals put the Phoenix back on top, 61-59, with 2:31 left on the clock. A basket by Redmond and made free throws for Evans solidified the six-point win for Elon as the clock ticked under a minute.

The Phoenix will continue home play with a match up against American on Saturday, Nov. 24. Tip is scheduled for 2 p.m.