ELON, N.C. – The Elon University men’s basketball team wraps up week three in Colonial Atheltic Association play on the road against the College of Charleston on Saturday afternoon, Jan. 16, at 4 p.m. inside TD Arena.
You can also listen to the game live on WSML 104.5 FM/1200 AM with Taylor Durham and Ryan Meizinger on the Elon IMG Sports Network. Pre-game coverage on WSML in Alumni Gym begins at 3:30 p.m.
The game will be broadcasted locally in Charleston on MyTV (WMMP) and will be video streamed with the link available online. Warren Peper and John Kresse will be on the call for the broadcast.
SERIES HISTORY
Saturday marks the 21st all-time meeting between Elon and College of Charleston. The Cougars lead the all-time series 15-5 and 13-5 during Elon’s Division I era, which includes the matchups when both teams were members of the Southern Conference.
Elon’s last win over College of Charleston was a 99-98 double-overtime thriller on Feb. 2, 2012. Elon dropped both games last season against College of Charleston falling 66-50 on Jan. 14, 2015 in Alumni Gym and 77-63 on Feb. 18 at TD Arena. Both teams faced off a total of 16 times as members of the Southern Conference. The first all time meeting was during the 1992-93 season and the Cougars won 85-53 on Feb. 15, 1993.
DISHING IT OUT
Elon as a team is averaging 16.1 assists per game this season, which leads the CAA and is tied for 50th in the NCAA. Luke Eddy is leading the team with 98 assists (25th in NCAA), 5.4 assists per game (38th in NCAA). He is second in the CAA in both categories.
FRESH IMPACT
Elon’s freshmen have made an impact during the 2015-16 season scoring 36.9 percent of Phoenix points this season. 538 of the team’s 1459 points have been scored by a freshmen, which includes 184 from Dainan Swoope, 169 from Steven Santa Ana, Tyler Seibring has tabbed 157 and Karolis Kundrotas has scored 24. Sheldon Eberhardt has four points. He scored his first-career basket on Dec. 13 against Wesley College and had a bucket in the final minutes against #15 Duke. Both Santa Ana and Seibring have been instrumental in CAA play so far as freshmen. Seibring has averaged 12.2 points and 5.2 rebounds, while Santa Ana has notched 11.4 points and 6.2 rebounds in the first five games.
GOOD START IS KEY
Elon has been most successful this season when winning the tip and leading at the half this season. The Phoenix is 10-0 this season when leading at the half and 5-2 overall when winning the tip.
POTENT OFFENSE
Elon ranks in the top-3 in the CAA in multiple offensive categories. In game averages, the Phoenix is second in scoring (81.1 ppg), first in assists (16.1 apg), and first in three-pointers per game (10.6). Elon is ranked in the NCAA top-50 in each team category.
SAMSON MILESTONES
Samson became Elon’s all-time leader in career triples against FIU on, Dec. 4. The senior currently has 300 made 3-pointers, becoming the first Elon player to reach 300 made triples. The 300 career threes rank first among all active Division I players. He surpassed Jack Isenbarger who had 264 made treys in his career. Samson became the program’s 39th 1,000-point scorer after scoring 23 points against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Friday, Nov. 27. His 756 career three-point attempts is the most in program history. He surpassed Isenbarger’s 721 on Dec. 16 vs. Alabama State. His 38.9 percent three-point percentage is tied with W. Massenburg for third all-time. Sebastian Koch is second all-time with a 40.3 career shooting percentage behind the arc.
SEIBRING EARNS SECOND CAA HONOR
Freshman forward Tyler Seibring was named CAA Rookie of the Week for the second time this season on Monday, Jan. 11. Last week, Seibring averaged 13.5 points and 7.5 rebounds during Elon’s 1-1 week against James Madison adn Hofstra. He shot the ball 50 percent from the floor, including 6-of-14 from three-point range. The freshman from Towanda, Ill. also earned the honor on Dec. 21. He averaged 12.5 points and 6.0 rebounds in Elon’s 2-0 week, where he finished 7-of-14 from 3-point range and also grabbed six rebounds in each contest as the Phoenix extended their winning streak to five games.
LET IT FLY
This season, 37.7 percent (190-of-504) of Elon’s made baskets have come from behind the three point line. The Phoenix is shooting 35.7 percent from deep and are averaging a CAA-best 10.6 triples a game, ranked 8th in the NCAA this season. Elon’s 18 3-pointers against the Alabama State Hornets on Dec. 16 was the most a Phoenix team has made in a game during the coach Matheny era. Tanner Samson has a team-high 58 made treys this season, while Dainan Swoope is right behind him with 37. A total of nine Phoenix have made a bucket from deep this season.
UP NEXT
The Phoenix heads into week four of conference play with a third consecutive home and road split. First, Elon hits the road to face William & Mary on Thursday, Jan. 23, for a 7 p.m. tip. Then, the Phoenix returns home to host JMU on Saturday, Jan. 25, at 7 p.m.