Elon MBB Wraps Up CAA Road Swing at Towson

ELON, N.C. – Coming off a win in its inaugural game in the Colonial Athletic Association on Saturday, the Elon University men’s basketball team concludes its first league weekend on Monday night, Jan. 5, at Towson. Tip is set for 7 p.m. at SECU Arena.

ELON VS. TOWSON: Monday marks the first meeting between Elon and Towson.

COMMON OPPONENTS: Elon and Towson had just one common non-conference opponent this season. Both teams claimed wins over Morgan State. The Tigers topped the Bears 51-46 on Nov. 17, while the Phoenix rallied from 19 points down against MSU for a 74-73 win on Nov. 25 in Cancun.

CAREER DAY: Elijah Bryant’s 32 points at Drexel on Jan. 3 are the most by an Elon player since Jack Isenbarger’s 34 vs. The Citadel on Feb. 4, 2012. Bryant is the first Phoenix player with 10 or more field goals in a game since Lucas Troutman had 11 in Elon’s overtime win at Davidson last season.

THIRD TIME’S A CHARM: Elijah Bryant earned CAA Rookie of the Week honors for the third time this season on Dec. 29. Bryant averaged 19.0 points in two wins against Kennesaw State and Marist, pouring in a season-best 25 at KSU to go along with five assists. Bryant leads all CAA freshmen in scoring at 12.5 points per game.

LOOKING AHEAD: Following Monday’s game at Towson, the Phoenix hosts William & Mary on Jan. 8 at 8 p.m. in its first home CAA game. The contest will be televised on the American Sports Network.

HOME SWEET HOME: Elon’s win over Marist on Dec. 28 improved its Alumni Gym record versus non-conference foes over the last four seasons to 18-5.

FROM DEEP: With four three-point makes at Drexel, Tanner Samson now sits at 186 in his career, putting him sixth in school history. The junior from Littleton, Colo., ranks first in the CAA in threes made with 47 and is shooting 39.8 percent from deep. Samson’s 118 attempts from beyond the arc are first in the CAA.

DEFENDING THE THREE: Elon leads the CAA in three-point field goal defense, holding the opposition to 29 percent from deep this season.

HEAD COACH MATT MATHENY: The 2014-15 season marks the sixth year at Elon for head coach Matt Matheny. Matheny enters Monday’s game with a career record of 86-87. Matheny was voted by the Southern Conference media as the Coach of the Year in 2012-13 and was a finalist for CollegeInsider.com’s Hugh Durham award, which honors the nation’s top mid-major coach.

ROAD TO BALTIMORE: The 2015 CAA Men’s Basketball Championship is scheduled for March 6-9 in Baltimore, Md., at Royal Farms Arena. Last year, Delaware topped William & Mary, 75-74, in the championship game to earn the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.