Elon Women’s Basketball Falls in Double Overtime at Navy

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Elon women’s basketball team was not able to hold off a late-charging Navy team, falling in double overtime, 73-70, tonight, Nov. 24, in Alumni Hall.

The Mids claimed a 32-23 advantage in the final 12 minutes of play, including the two extra five-minute periods, to erase a six-point Elon lead, 47-41, with 2:18 remaining in the game.

With the score tied at 60-all in the second overtime, a defensive rebound by Shay Burnett led the a fast-break layup by Lauren Brown as two free throws by Malaya Johnson helped the Phoenix maintain a two-point lead, 64-62, with 1:30 left. A layup by Nikki McDonald with 49 seconds remaining made it a 66-65 Elon advantage but the Mids answered with a basket and the maroon and gold was forced to foul down the stretch. Navy made 6-of-8 chances at the line in the final 33 seconds to secure the win.

The Phoenix (3-2) went 25-of-68 from the field to shoot 37 percent, including a 22 percent mark from three, and claimed a 59-43 advantage on the boards. The Mids (3-1) finished 21-of-73 for 29 percent but held a 77 percent mark from the charity stripe, going 24-of-31. Navy took advantage of Elon’s 28 turnovers and claimed 18 steals.

“Turnovers were the story of the game,” said Elon head coach Charlotte Smith. “You can’t be successful with 28 turnovers. We didn’t do a good job of taking care of the basketball in the second half and that hurt us. We had plenty of opportunities to win this game. We’re a great team and I can’t reiterate that enough to them. But the biggest thing is that we have to commit to grit. You can’t win games off of offensive talent alone and we have to get back to our defensive principles.”

Elon saw double-doubles from both Burnett and Johnson. Johnson led the Phoenix with a season-high 15 points, going 6-of-9 from field-goal range and 3-of-3 from the line, and had 10 rebounds. Burnett posted 14 points and 14 boards to go with four assists and two steals. Lauren Brown also scored in double figures with 12 points, while Jenifer Rhodes hauled down 10 rebounds and Essence Baucom handed out seven assists.

Navy’s Ashanti Kennedy led all players with 21 points and had nine rebounds. Sarita Condie added 17 points followed by 12 points from Bianca Roach.

Highlights
Navy took an 8-4 advantage to start the game before a three by McDonald at the 5:31 mark in the first period sparked a 16-0 run for the Phoenix that lasted over six minutes and held the Mids scoreless for nearly eight minutes. The maroon and gold held a 16-8 lead at the end of the first frame and led by 12, 20-8, when the run ended with 8:24 to play in the second.

Elon extended its lead to as much as 13, 26-13, with 5:14 remaining in the half. Navy managed to close out the second period on a 9-3 run to make it a seven-point game, 29-22, at the break.

With the Phoenix leading 33-25 at the 7:06 mark in the third period, a three by Maddie McCallie and jumper from Rhodes helped Elon to a 40-28 advantage before a pair of free throws by Burnett made it a 12-point game, 41-29. The Mids cut its deficit to seven, 42-35, with a layup with 19 seconds remaining in the frame.

Navy continued the momentum into the fourth period with a 12-1 scoring advantage over an eight-minute span to make it a one-point game, 42-41. With 3:06 remaining, Johnson grabbed an offensive rebound and finished off a layup to give the Phoenix its first field goal since the 2:11 mark in the third.

A three by Brown made it a six-point advantage with 2:18 left before the Mids hit a field goal and free throw to make it 47-45 with 1:16 on the clock. A basket from beyond the arc evened the game, 48-all, with 34 seconds left. The Phoenix missed chances in the final 30 seconds as the game went to overtime.

After Navy converted two free throw opportunities, a Johnson steal led to a fast-break Baucom layup to keep the game tied at 50. Johnson scored the next three points as well off a free throw and layup after an offensive board to make it a two-point Elon lead, 53-51 with 36 seconds remaining. With the Phoenix holding a three-point edge, 54-51, the Mids hit a three to even game again with 11 ticks left. A three-point opportunity by Brown missed with time expiring, sending the game into another overtime period.

Notes
Navy now leads the all-time series, 2-1…Elon falls to 16-10 all-time in overtime games…This game marked the first time the Phoenix has played more than one overtime since a four-overtime game in 2008…Burnett’s double-double marked the third of the season for the sophomore, while it’s the first this year for Johnson.

Next Up
The Phoenix returns home to Alumni Gym to host East Tennessee State after the Thanksgiving holiday on Sunday, Nov. 29, in a 2 p.m. tip.