Elon MBB Travels to New York to Face Hofstra

ELON, N.C. – The Elon University men’s basketball team travels to New York this weekend for a Saturday night Colonial Athletic Association matchup at Hofstra. Tip is set for 7 p.m. at Hofstra Arena.

ELON VS. HOFSTRA: Saturday night marks the third all-time meeting between the Phoenix and Pride. Hofstra has won both of the previous meetings, including a 79-61 decision on Jan. 10 at Alumni Gym. The Pride nailed 14 threes in the game, while the Phoenix struggled from beyond the arc, going 4-of-21 in the setback. The last time Elon played in Hempstead was Nov. 23, 2009, in the NIT Season Tip-Off in Matt Matheny’s first season. The Pride came away with a 70-46 win.

LOOKING BACK: The Phoenix dropped a 67-63 decision to Drexel on Feb. 5 at Alumni Gym, rallying from eight points down with about a minute to play to pull within three late. Drexel knocked down free throws in the waning moments to secure the win, its fourth straight. Elon shot 47.1 percent in the game, its highest shooting percentage in a loss this season.

ELON IN FEBRUARY: Going into Saturday’s game at Hofstra, Elon has a 24-19 mark in the month of February under head coach Matt Matheny. Last year, Elon went 7-1 in February.

FROM DEEP: Tanner Samson nailed five threes against Drexel on Feb. 5, bringing his career total to 216. Samson sits in fourth place all-time in Elon history in career threes trailing only Jack Isenbarger (264), Chris Kiger (259) and Sebastian Koch (242) in career threes. Samson leads the CAA in threes made with 77 (seventh nationally) and three-point attempts with 204 (fourth nationally).

LOOKING AHEAD: Following Saturday’s tilt at Hofstra, Elon plays its second of back-to-back on the road on Feb. 11 at William & Mary. Elon claimed an 85-79 over the Tribe in its CAA home debut on Jan. 8 at Alumni Gym.

285 AND COUNTING: The Elon men’s basketball program has made at least one three-point field goal in 285 consecutive games. The last time Elon did not make a three in a game was Jan. 30, 2006, at Georgia Southern when the team went 0-of-14 from deep.

FIRST-YEAR SUCCESS: Rookie guard Elijah Bryant is leading all CAA freshmen in scoring at 13.5 points per game. Bryant has been tabbed CAA Rookie of the Week four times this season and garnered player of the week honors once. He has 18 double-digit efforts in 24 games. In CAA games, Bryant is averaging 14.7 points per contest.

GETTING DEFENSIVE: Elon has forced at least 12 turnovers in 21 of its 24 games this season. Elon forced a season-high 21 turnovers against Charlotte on Nov. 16. The Phoenix forced 19 turnovers on Jan. 3 at Drexel, the most against a league opponent this season.

40-PERCENT MARK: Elon has an 11-4 record this season when it shoots 40+ percent from the floor. The Phoenix is 0-9 when it shoots below 40 percent.

CAREER DAY FOR HAMILTON: Austin Hamilton scored a career-high 31 points vs. Delaware on Jan. 24, draining six threes in the win. Hamilton joins Elijah Bryant as the only other Phoenix player to score 30+ in a game this season. Hamilton is the first Elon player to score 30+ points in Alumni Gym since Jack Isenbarger scored 34 on Feb. 4, 2012, vs. The Citadel.

FREEBIES: Elon’s 25 made free throws against Delaware on Jan. 24 are the most in a game since the Phoenix knocked down 27 against Western Carolina on Feb. 16, 2013.

READY FOR LIFTOFF: When it’s all said and done, the Phoenix will have traveled a total of 17,415 miles on the road this season via flight and bus. Elon’s longest trip was a 5,764-mile round-trip to Cancun, Mexico. The team’s shortest trip was a 44-mile round-trip to the Greensboro Coliseum.

HEAD COACH MATT MATHENY: The 2014-15 season marks the sixth year at Elon for head coach Matt Matheny. Matheny enters Saturday’s game with a career record of 88-95. 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.