Phoenix Women’s Basketball Welcomes Cougars for Conference Opener

ELON, N.C. – The Elon women’s basketball team (2-2) opens its 2012-13 Southern Conference slate with a 2 p.m. tip against College of Charleston (2-4) on Saturday, Dec. 1. Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for all youth 12 and under.

Saturday, Dec. 1
Site: Elon, N.C. (Alumni Gym)
Series: CofC leads, 13-8
Last Meeting: Feb. 20, 2012 – Elon won, 63-50
Radio: WSOE 89.3 FM – Ryan Balick and Christian Binder will have the call

Last Time Out
The Phoenix dropped a heartbreaker to American in Alumni Gym on Saturday, Nov. 24, by a final of 69-68. Elon had an opportunity to win the game with an Ali Ford layup with five seconds remaining, but the ball did not fall the way of the Phoenix. Ford scored 21 points in the contest and dished out six assists. Kelsey Evans recorded her third straight double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds.

Scouting the Cougars
CofC dropped its last game against Winthrop on Wednesday in a close 63-61 final score. Latisha Harris is leading the Cougars in scoring and on the boards with 15.5 points and 8-7 rebounds per game. Harris is followed by Alyssa Frye who averages 12.8 ppg and is shooting over 40 percent from beyond the arc after 20 threes this season. CofC is coached by first-year head coach Natasha Adair who is also in her first season overall as a head coach after six years as the associate head coach at Wake Forest.

The Series
Saturday’s conference opener marks the 21st meeting between the Cougars and the Phoenix with the first contest going the way of CofC, 85-71, on March 12, 1981. CofC leads the all-time series by a record of 13-8. However, Elon has claimed the win in the last four meetings.

Previously Against CofC
The last time the Cougars and Phoenix met was on Feb. 20, 2012, in Charleston, S.C. as Elon came away with a 63-50 victory. Former Phoenix guard Aiesha Harper scored a game-high 16 points, while Kelsey Evans pulled down seven boards and recorded three blocks.

1,000-Point Club
Kelsey Evans is one point shy of becoming the 19th player in Elon women’s basketball history to reach 1,000 career points. After four games this season, the Raleigh, N.C., native has totaled 999 career points.

NCAA Rankings
The NCAA released its first women’s basketball rankings for the 2012-13 season on Monday and Elon players rank in the top 50 in several categories. Kelsey Evans ranks 16th in double-doubles with three this season and is 27th in blocks per game (2.75). Shon Redmond ranks 14th in steals per game (4.0), while Ali Ford is 29th in three-pointers per game (3.0). Redmond ranks first in single-game highs after her 10 steals against UNCW. As a team, the Phoenix ranks 23rd in blocks per game with 5.8.

Looking Ahead
The Phoenix will play its first SoCon road game of the season on Monday, Dec. 3, at Western Carolina. The game will take place on the Catamounts’ Education Day and tip is set for noon.