Elon Men’s Basketball Phoenix and 49ers Meet on Friday Night in Charlotte

ELON, N.C. – Coming off a pair of wins last week to begin the season, the Elon University men’s basketball team makes the short trek down I-85 on Friday, Nov. 15, to face instate rival Charlotte inside Halton Arena. Tip is scheduled for 4 p.m.

ELON VS. CHARLOTTE: Friday marks only the third all-time meeting between the Phoenix and 49ers, as both schools have picked up a win in the previous two meetings. The last time the two schools met was Nov. 16, 2009, in the Preseason NIT at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Matt Matheny’s first season. The 49ers came away with a 75-61 win in that game. Josh Bonney and Adam Constantine led the Phoenix with 15 and 11 points, respectively. Elon’s lone win over the 49ers came in the NAIA District 26 Tournament in 1970 in the form of a 77-71 win. That victory still stands as Elon’s last win in postseason play.

LOOKING BACK: The Phoenix caught fire early on Sunday, Nov. 10, at Marist and never looked back, topping the Red Foxes 75-48 inside McCann Arena. Elon led 47-16 at the half and held Marist in check for the final 20 minutes to secure the win and improve to 2-0 on the year. Elon shot 50 percent from the field in the win, including 10-of-27 from beyond the arc. Elon held Marist to just 48 points in Sunday’s win in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., marking the lowest total points by an opponent during Matt Matheny’s tenure. It’s the lowest total since March 1, 2003, when Elon held High Point to 46 points. The 27-point win marked the largest margin of victory on the road by the Phoenix since 1996-97 when it won by 37 points at Lock Haven.

LOOKING AHEAD: Following Friday’s game in the Queen City, Elon heads to Piscataway, N.J., for the 2013 NIT Season Tip-Off. The Phoenix squares off against Drexel on Monday, Nov. 18, at 5 p.m. at the Rutgers Athletic Center. A day later, the maroon and gold faces either Canisius or Rutgers.

HEAD COACH MATT MATHENY: Matt Matheny is in his fifth season as the Elon head men’s basketball coach. The 2013 Southern Conference Coach of the Year by the media, Matheny enters Friday’s game with an overall record of 61-68. Matheny was a finalist for CollegeInsider.com’s Hugh Durham Award last season, which honors the nation’s top mid-major coach.

HOT START: Elon is off to a 2-0 start for the first time since the 1996-97 season. Elon won its home opener and road opener this season for the first time since Matt Matheny’s first season in 2009-10.

GETTING OFFENSIVE: Elon is currently leading the Southern Conference in field goal percentage after two games at 61 percent. The Phoenix also leads all SoCon teams in scoring margin at 38.5 points and three-point field goal percentage and three-point field goals made, going 22-for-48 (46 percent) through two games.