ELON, N.C. – The Elon University men’s basketball team closes out the non-conference portion of its schedule in the second game of a men’s and women’s basketball doubleheader in Alumni Gym on Wednesday, Dec. 28, against the Central Pennsylvania Knights. The matchup against the Knights will tip off following the conclusion of the women’s game against King University.
COVERAGE
Watch the action exclusively on Phoenix All-Access and CAA.tv as Matt Krause will be on the broadcast. You can also listen to the action on the Elon IMG Sports Network on 104.5 FM, 1200 AM or on the TuneIn app. Taylor Durham and Ryan Meizinger will have the call from Alumni Gym and the pregame show begins at 7:30 p.m.
SERIES HISTORY
Wednesday’s matchup against the Knights will be the third meeting between the two schools. Elon has outscored Central Penn 243-151 in the previous two contests. In the most recent matchup, Elon defeated Central Penn 117-73 on Dec. 7, 2014 inside Alumni Gym. In the first meeting, the Phoenix set a school record scoring 126 points in a 126-78 rout of the Knights on Dec. 19, 2013.
STRONG SHOWING VS. #5/4 DUKE
Elon has a solid showing against the No. 5-ranked Blue Devils on Wednesday night inside the Greensboro Coliseum. The Phoenix led the Blue Devils, 35-34 at halftime before falling 72-61.
• Elon’s 35-34 lead at halftime was the best margin for the Phoenix under Matheny against a nationally-ranked opponent. The previous best margin came against No. 1 Duke 20, 2012, when Elon trailed by eight (35-27) inside Cameron Indoor Stadium.
• It was the first time this season that the Duke Blue Devils trailed at halftime in any game. The last time Duke trailed at halftime was on March 24, 2016 when the Blue Devils trailed Oregon 36-31 in the 2016 NCAA Sweet 16.
• The Phoenix outrebounded Duke 42-37 throughout the game. Elon was the first team that is not from a Power 5 conference to outrebound the Blue Devils since Yale in the second round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament (42-28) and the first during the regular season since Long Beach State on Dec. 30, 2015 (42-31).
• The 11-point defeat is the second-smallest margin of victory for a ranked team against Elon in the team’s time as a Division I program. The smallest margin came against No. 15/16 UMass on Jan. 18, 2014, an 84-74 loss at Alumni Gym.
• The 11-point loss is also the closSirius 83 and XM 202 est final margin against a Mike Krzyzewski-coached Duke team in Elon’s Division I history. The previous margin was a 13-point loss on Dec. 15, 2014, in Durham, N.C. against then-No. 2 Duke.
SCORING EFFICIENTLY
Brian Dawkins is shooting 58.3 percent from the field and an incredible 69 percent from the three-point line. His shooting percentage ranks second in the CAA and 35th in the NCAA Division I individual rankings. Dawkins’ three-point shooting percentage is the best in the league thus far. Tyler Seibring is shooting 45.6 percent from the floor, which is 13th in the league.
NON-CONFERENCE OPPONENTS
Through 12 games, Elon’s are a combined 80-62 this season. Eight of those 12 teams have a winning record and three of them currently rank in the NCAA’s top-100 RPI rankings.
337 AND COUNTING
The Elon men’s basketball program has made at least one three-point field goal in 337 consecutive games (not including exhibition 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. Elon is currently averaging 9.7 triples per game. The Phoenix averaged 9.5 made three pointers a game last season.
MATT MATHENY MILESTONE
Head coach Matt Matheny won his 110th game at Elon on Thursday, Nov. 17, at South Florida. With the win, he passed Mark Simons for the fifth most in program history. Matheny currently has 115 career victories and is tied with Robert “Bob” Burton (1986-93) for fourth in program history. He is one win away from moving into sole possession of fourth.
SHARING THE WEALTH
Elon has four players averaging double-digit scoring this season and one not far behind. Brian Dawkins is leading the way with 12.9 ppg. He is followed by Tyler Seibring and Steven Santa Ana, who are averaging 11.9 ppg each. Luke Eddy is at 10.6 ppg) and Dainan Swoope is just on the outside with 9.9 ppg. All five players have led the team in scoring during contests. Dawkins has been the team’s top scorer in a team-high five games this season.
SCOUTING CENTRAL PENN
Central Penn, a non-NCAA institution, is a member of the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA). They compete in USCAA’s Division II level. Runners-up in the 2016 USCAA Division II National Championship, the Knights return their top scorer and First Team USCAA All-American guard Tyree Tucker as well as their top rebounder Dominique Twiggs. Central Penn will have a much different look compared to last season with eight freshman on this year’s squad.
Central Penn finished as the runner-up for the 2016 USCAA Division II National Championship; falling to the No. 1 seed Berkeley College (N.Y.) 107-88 in the championship. The Knights were a high-powered offense during the 2015-16 season. Tyree Tucker and Andre Batte earned All-Tournament Team honors for the Knights. The team ranked second in USCAA in points per game (121.0), first in field goals made per game (34.1), and they get their shots up as they averaged 75.4 attempts per game, which ranked third in the country.
UP NEXT
Elon begins conference play on New Years Ever, Dec. 31, inside Alumni Gym against College of Charleston. The game will tip off at 2 p.m. and will be aired exclusively on Phoenix All-Access and on CAA.tv. In addition to being aired on the Elon IMG Sports Network, Heritage Sports Radio Network (HSRN) will also air the game on Sirus XM Radio on Sirius 83 and XM 202.