Elon Men’s Basketball Cruises to 114-64 Win Over W&L in Season Opener

ELON, N.C. – Behind another sold out crowd Alumni Gym, the Elon University men’s basketball team treated the home fans to a 114-64 victory over the visiting Washington & Lee Generals on Friday night, Nov. 8, in Alumni Gym for its regular season opener.

The maroon and gold shot 72 percent from the field in the win, knocking down 41-of-57 field goal attempts. The Phoenix also hit for 57 percent (12-of-21) from beyond the arc.

The win marks the largest margin of victory during Matt Matheny’s tenure as head coach. It is also the most points in a season opener since the 1982-83 season.

“We shot the ball very well tonight,” said Matheny. “In the second half, I thought we were better defensively, but when you shoot 72 percent it really covers up for a lot of things and makes for a good evening for us.”

Sebastian Koch led the way with 22 points, as he and Tanner Samson ended the night with five three-pointers apiece. Samson scored 17 points in the win and propelled the Phoenix to an early lead in the game after connecting on four triples in the game’s first six minutes.

Ryley Beaumont and Lucas Troutman both scored 18 points in the victory, while rookie Christian Hairston ended the night with 10 points to round out five Phoenix players in double figures.

Elon outscored W&L 56-18 in the paint and capitalized off 14 of the Generals’ turnovers with 25 points.

The Phoenix also won the battle on the glass, 37-16, as Koch and Hairston both tied for a game-high with six boards.

Samson pushed the Phoenix out to a big lead early after beginning the game 5-of-5 from the field, including 4-of-4 from beyond the arc, to make it a 19-4 game.

Elon carried a 57-32 lead into the locker room at intermission, shooting a blistering 68 percent (23-of-34) from the field, including 57 percent (8-of-14) from three-point land.

Troutman helped the Phoenix open up a 30-point lead in the early stages of the second half after knocking down a pair from the charity stripe to make it a 65-35 game. Elon led by as many as 50 points in the second session.

Elon hits the road for a Sunday evening game in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., versus Marist. Tip is set for 5 p.m.