JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – The Elon University women’s basketball team had four players score in double figures to help the Phoenix snap a three-game overall losing skid with a 79-51 victory at East Tennessee State on Saturday afternoon, 79-51, inside Brooks Gym.
Shay Burnett had a game-high 19 points for Elon (5-4) in the contest and was joined in the double-digit scoring column by Essence Baucom (14), Ra’Shika White (12) and Lauren Brown (10). White posted her first career double-double after the rookie corralled a game and career-high 13 boards. Overall, the maroon and gold shot nearly 54 percent (29-of-54) from the field.
ETSU (6-6) was led by Tianna Tarter and her 13 points and seven rebounds. Shamauria Bridges contributed with 11 points for the Buccaneers.
The Rundown
Elon opened the game with a 10-point lead after the first. After ETSU tied the game at 6-6 with a pair of free throws at the 6:49 mark, the Phoenix went on a 11-0 run capped off by a Jenifer Rhodes layup at the 3:27 mark after the media timeout to make the score 17-6. The Buccaneers made it an eight-point game with a three-pointer by Carly Lytton with 58 seconds left in the quarter, but Malaya Johnson made a hook shot prior to the end of the period to give Elon the 10-point advantage, 21-11.
An ETSU three-pointer early in the second brought the Phoenix’s lead down to seven, 21-14, at the 9:52 mark. Elon responded with a 20-4 run over nearly the next nine minutes of action push its lead by as many as 23 points, 41-18, with 29 seconds left in the half. The Phoenix also turned up its defensive pressure holding ETSU without a field goal for the remaining 7:32 of the half and went into the break with a 41-20 lead.
In the second half, Elon continue to expand upon its lead with Baucom and Burnett being the main catalysts. The Phoenix lead by as many as 29 in the third after a Rhodes free throw at the 5:05 mark made it a 55-26 game. ETSU went on a brief 7-0 run, but Elon closed out the quarter with layups from Baucom and Jada Graves to head into the fourth ahead 59-33.
Burnett helped put away the game for the Phoenix in the fourth. The junior scored nine points in the quarter and was 8-for-12 from the field overall during the game. Elon easily held on for the remainder of the contest for the 79-51 victory.
Notable
• The Phoenix held the Buccaneers to 23 percent shooting (14-for-60) overall and 5-for-28 from three in the contest. In comparison, Elon went 5-for-13 from downtime with Brown connecting on two triples.
• Elon had 13 steals in the contest with Rhodes making three of those thefts. The Phoenix capitalized off ETSU’s turnovers, scoring 24 points off of the Buccaneers’ miscues.
• Elon slightly won the rebounding battle, 44-40, but gave up 14 offensive boards to ETSU.
Up Next
The Phoenix heads to the Georgia State Holiday Classic next week, Dec. 21-22. Elon opens the tournament versus Akron on Dec. 21, before facing host Georgia State the following day.