ELON, N.C. – Coming off three straight wins, including two in the Preseason WNIT, the Elon University women’s basketball team returns home for its next two contests. The Phoenix welcomes Bucknell to Alumni Gym on Tuesday, Nov. 22, for a 7 p.m. matchup. Following Tuesday’s game against Bucknell, the maroon and gold will host Triad foe Wake Forest on Saturday, Nov. 26, at 2 p.m.
Fans can watch the game exclusively on Phoenix All-Access and listen live on Elon’s student radio station WSOE 89.3 FM.
THE SERIES: Tuesday marks the second all-time meeting between Elon and Bucknell. The two teams met on Dec. 6, 1998, at the Davidson Roundball Invitational in Davidson, N.C., where the Bison claimed a 73-64 win.
COMMON THREADS: Elon and Bucknell have four common opponents this season in North Carolina, Rutgers, Akron and Drexel.
LOOKING BACK: Elon handily won both of its games in the Preseason WNIT at Central Michigan on Nov. 18-19. The Phoenix knocked off Eastern Washington, 76-55, before claiming a 71-57 victory over host CMU a day later.
GRAVE DIGGER: Rookie Jada Graves was stellar in two Preseason WNIT games at CMU. The first-year guard averaged 16.5 points and shot a combined 11-of-19 from the floor, including 6-of-8 from three, in two wins. Graves scored 20 points against CMU on Nov. 19 and is the first Elon rookie to score 20 or more points in a game since Shay Burnett did so on March 1, 2015.
AT THE BREAK: In its last three games, Elon has led by an average of 14.3 points at halftime. The Phoenix has maintained that double-digit advantage in each contest, winning all three by an average of 15.7 points. Elon’s largest margin of victory came in the form of a 21-point win over Eastern Washington on Nov. 18.
LOOKING AHEAD: Following Elon’s game against Bucknell, the Phoenix hosts Wake Forest on Saturday, Nov. 26, at 2 p.m. inside Alumni Gym. The last time Elon played host to a current member of the ACC was Nov. 29, 1979, when the Phoenix welcomed Wake Forest to campus. Elon and Wake have no met since the 1979-80 season. Elon holds a 14-2 mark all-time against Wake Forest and has won the last four meetings.
ELON vs. THE ACC: Elon has a 19-18 mark all-time against current members of the ACC. Elon is 14-2 against Wake, 4-3 against Duke, 1-8 against NC State, 0-2 against Georgia Tech and 0-3 against Virginia Tech. Since making the transition to the Division I ranks, Elon has one win against an ACC foe – last year’s victory over NC State.
ELON vs. POWER FIVE: Elon’s win on Nov. 14 over Rutgers marked its first over a member of the Big Ten Conference. The Phoenix went into the game 0-1 versus current Big Ten members with a setback against Wisconsin in 2000-01. All time, Elon has an overall record of 24-36 against current Power Five schools.
HOME COURT: Elon’s attendance of 983 inside Alumni Gym versus Rutgers on Nov. 14 marked the third largest crowd inside Alumni Gym for a women’s basketball game since the 1998-99 season. Alumni Gym has a capacity of 1,607.
MILESTONE WATCH: With 42 points this season, senior guard Lauren Brown has accumulated 824 career points heading into Tuesday’s game. Not far behind, senior forward Jenifer Rhodes has 797 career points and junior guard Shay Burnett has tallied 769 career points.
HEAD COACH CHARLOTTE SMITH: Elon head coach Charlotte Smith is in her sixth season with the Phoenix and owns career record of 90-71. Smith has led Elon to two straight WNIT appearances and three overall post-season appearances in the last five seasons. Her teams have won 18 or more games in three of the last four seasons heading into 2016-17.