Elon Women’s Basketball Phoenix Hosts Paladins in Regular-Season Home Finale

ELON, N.C. – After a commanding 23-point win on Saturday, Elon looks to close out the home portion of its regular season with a seventh straight home victory on Monday, Feb. 24, against Furman at 7 p.m. in Alumni Gym. Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for all youth 12 and under.

Elon (13-13, 9-6 SoCon) vs. Furman (15-11, 9-6 SoCon)
Date: Monday, Feb. 24
Time: 7 p.m.
Site: Elon, N.C. (Alumni Gym)
Series: Elon leads, 13-10
Last Meeting: Jan. 25, 2014 – Furman won, 66-65
Radio: WSOE – 89.3 FM –Matt Krause and Joe DiRienzo will have the call

Last Time Out
Elon put up a strong win over Wofford on Saturday, claiming victory by 23 points, 82-59. The Terriers would close the gap to one point twice in the game, but the Phoenix ran away after the first few minutes of the second half with a 14-0 run and never looked back. Kelsey Harris finished with 18 points and reached the 1,000-career point milestone in the game. Sam Coffer, Lauren Brown and Jenifer Rhodes all scored in double figures for the maroon and gold, while Rhodes hauled down a team-high eight rebounds.

Scouting the Paladins
Furman is coming off a 77-64 win at UNCG Saturday and has won three of its last four games. The Paladins are now 15-11 on the season and 9-6 in conference play. Furman has two players that rank in the top 10 in the SoCon in scoring in Holli Wilkins (fourth) and Brittany Hodges (ninth), who average 14.9 and 13.2 points per game, respectively. In rebounding, Hodges pulls down 9.3 boards per game, just short of a double-double, and is first in the league.

The Series
Elon has won seven of the last 10 meetings and owns the overall record, 13-10. Each team won on its home court last season and Furman claimed a tight 66-65 victory in the last game almost a month ago. Last year in Alumni Gym, the Phoenix won 79-69 with the help of five players scoring in double figures. The maroon and gold has won four straight over the Paladins on the friendly confines of its home court.

The 1,000-Point Club
On Feb. 22, Kelsey Harris became the 20th member of Elon women’s basketball’s 1,000-point club. The senior currently has 1,006 career points and is averaging 12.3 points per game.

NCAA Rankings
The NCAA released its latest set of rankings on Feb. 21 and Elon finds itself ranked ninth nationally in three-point field goal percentage with a 38.6 percent mark from beyond the arc (first in the league) and 19th in blocked shots per game (5.2/game).

Home Court Advantage
Alumni Gym has proved to be a tough place to play for opponents this season. The Phoenix is 10-3 at home this season, including a current six-game winning streak. Elon is out-scoring opponents by an average margin of over eight points in Alumni Gym.

If The Season Ended Today
Elon would earn the fourth seed in the 2014 Southern Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament. The fourth seed is set to play the fifth seed, which would be Appalachian State at this point, on Saturday, March 8, at 2:15 p.m. in Kimmel Arena in Asheville, N.C.

Looking Ahead
The Phoenix closes out the regular season on the road at Chattanooga and Samford next weekend. Elon will play at UTC on Friday, Feb. 28, at 7 p.m.