ELON, N.C. – The Elon women’s basketball team (12-8, 5-4) looks to start February in the win column with a game at Towson (9-13, 5-5) on Thursday, Feb. 5, in a 7 p.m. tip in SECU Arena in Towson, Md.
Last Time Out
Elon hung tight with league leader James Madison through much of the first half in its last game before the Dukes pulled away for an 89-60 victory. The Phoenix was held to its lowest field-goal percentage of the season (26.9 percent) after only 14 field goals on the night. The defense tallied six blocks in the game and 42 rebounds helped the maroon and gold to an 18-15 advantage in second-chance points. Rookie Shay Burnett led the Phoenix with 15 points with a career-high 10 free throws and also hauled down six boards.
Scouting the Tigers
Towson is 5-5 in conference play after a 71-49 win over College of Charleston in its last game and owns a 4-1 record in CAA games at home so far this season. The Tigers are shooting 36 percent from field goal range and only 28 percent from beyond the arc, but lead the league in three-point field goal defense (28 percent) and are third in blocked shots (4.0/game). Senior LaTorri Hines-Allen averages 18 points per game, which ranks second in the CAA, and recently reached the career 1,000-point mark. Hines-Allen also leads the team on the boards with 9.5 rebounds per game and has 11 double-doubles on the season. Dominque Johnson is second on the squad in scoring with 12.4 points/game and has 45 threes on the season for a 31 percent mark from long distance.
The Series
The Phoenix and the Tigers have only met one time previously when the teams played almost three weeks ago on Jan. 18 in Alumni Gym. Elon claimed the 58-43 win and leads the series, 1-0.
Program Milestone
The Phoenix women’s basketball team is nearing a program marker of 600 wins. Elon currently has 595 overall wins since it began competition in 1971.
Spark of the Bench
The extra spark that Elon has had off the bench has been a tremendous asset so far this season. The Phoenix is out scoring its opponents, 421-343, in bench points. Sophomores Lauren Brown and Jenifer Rhodes have been a big part of the team’s depth with the two players averaging 7.6 and 7.1 points per game, respectively.
Block Party
Elon currently ranks first in the conference and 42nd nationally with 4.8 blocked shots/game. Malaya Johnson (1.3) and Sam Coffer (1.1) rank fifth and eighth in the league in blocks, respectively. Elon posted a season-high 11 blocks in its game at NC State on Dec. 7. That mark tied a team-high mark under head coach Charlotte Smith. The only other time the Phoenix has recorded 11 blocks in a game in the last four years was at Georgia Southern on Jan. 13, 2014.
On the Defensive
The Phoenix defense has played strong so far this season and ranks in the top of several CAA defensive categories. Elon is first in blocked shots (4.8/game), fourth in field goal defense (38.3 percent), second in three-point field goal defense (28.7 percent) and fourth in steals (8.0/game).
From the Field
Elon is first in the CAA in field-goal percentage and fourth in field-goal percentage defense. The Phoenix owns a 41.1 shooting percentage 20 games into the season, while holding opponents to 38.3 percent. Malaya Johnson is second in the league with her 53.2 shooting percentage, while Shay Burnett (49.3 percent) and Jenifer Rhodes (45.6 percent) rank fifth and 12th, respectively.
Beyond the Arc
The Phoenix is shooting 33.4 percent from the three-point line and is third in the league in the long-distance shooting category. The team is second in three-point defense with opponents only shooting 28.7 percent from beyond the arc. Two Elon players currently rank in the top three in the conference in three-point field goal percentage. Zora Stephenson and Lauren Brown each rank third with a 37.5 percent mark.
Head Coach Charlotte Smith
Elon head coach Charlotte Smith is in her fourth season with the Phoenix and owns a 62-52 career record. Smith led Elon to its second straight Southern Conference Tournament semifinal appearance and a 10-8 overall conference record last season.
Looking Ahead
Elon wraps up a three-game road swing on Sunday, Feb. 8, at College of Charleston with a 2 p.m. tip in TD Arena in Charleston, S.C.