ELON, N.C. – Elon University men’s basketball returns to Boston for the second time this season on Friday, Jan. 5, facing Northeastern in its first road contest of Colonial Athletic Association play inside Matthews Arena at 7 p.m.
COVERAGE
Fans can watch the game live as part of the CAA’s “Game of the Week” package through College Sports Live. Jeff McCarragher and Mack McCarthy will have the call on that broadcast. Fans can also listen to the Elon IMG Sports Network broadcast on WSJS 104.5 FM and 1200 AM, or on elonphoenix.com. Taylor Durham and Brian Morris will call the action on the radio broadcast with the pregame show starting at 6:30 p.m.
PREGAME SOCIAL
Join the Elon Phoenix Club at the Northeastern Alumni Center in Boston before Elon Men’s Basketball faces Northeastern at 7 p.m. inside the Matthews Arena. See special guest, Elon University President Dr. Leo Lambert, and to hear from an assistant coach prior to the game.
THE SERIES
• Friday will be the 7th all-time meeting between Elon and Northeastern and the 4th time in Matthews Arena. The Phoenix defeated the Huskies 51-49 in its last visit to Matthews Arena on Jan. 26, 2017.
• During the 2016-17 season, Elon and Northeastern split the season series with the road team winning each contest.
• The Huskies defeated Elon in Alumni Gym last season in a double-OT thriller on Feb. 23, 2017, with an 105-104 victory.
• Each of the last three games have been decided by four points or less, with the last two decided by two points or less. Only once in the series has the winning team won by double-digits. That was in the first matchup on Jan . 31, 2015 at Matthews Arena.
LAST TIME OUT
• Elon improved its record to 2-0 in CAA action with a 75-72 victory over Towson on Tuesday. Elon remains undefeated inside Alumni Gym this season.
• The Phoenix came back from as much as a 10-point deficit, shooting 69.2 percent in the second half, and having four players finish in double figures. Steven Santa Ana finished with a team-high 17 points, scoring 15 of those in the second half.
• Dmitri Thompson scored Elon’s last 4 points and the Phoenix forced Towson to miss two key shots in the final 27 seconds to win.
A LOOK AT ELON
• The Phoenix has a 10-5 record overall and 2-0 mark in CAA action following wins over Drexel and Towson.
• Elon is 2-0 for the first time to start conference play as a member of the CAA and is 2-0 for the 6th time in the program’s Division I era since 1999 (first time since 2011-12).
• The maroon and gold is averaging 74.5 ppg and allowing 72.7 ppg thus far through 15 games. The team has only been held to under 70 points 4 times and under 60 points twice this season.
• Offensively, Elon ranks 2nd in the CAA averaging 10.9 made three-pointers a game and 3rd with 15.9 assists per contest.
• The Phoenix continues to improve defensively, only allowing teams to shoot 42.2% from the floor which ranks 3rd in the CAA. Elon is also 1st in the league in defensive rebounds, averaging 29.7 per game.
• Elon is 1st in NCAA Division I in fouls committed per game. The Phoenix averages just 13.1 personal fouls per game.
• Dainan Swoope is currently Elon’s leading scorer at 14.9 ppg, Tyler Seibring is 10th in the league averaging a team-best 6.2 rpg, while Swoope is 6th in the CAA with 3.7 apg.
• Eberhardt has the 5th-best assist/turnover ratio in the CAA with a 2.1 ratio with 48 assists to 23 turnovers.
• Elon completed its non-conference schedule with eight or more wins for the 4th straight year.
• The Phoenix returned all five starters and its top five scorers from a team that finished 18-14 overall and placed tied for fourth in the CAA with a 10-8 mark in 2016-17.
• Four of the five starters averaged double-figure scoring last season, led by 2016-17 All-CAA Second Team forward Tyler Seibring, who averaged a team-high 14.4 ppg.
• Dawkins finished second on the team in scoring at 12.9 ppg, while Santa Ana and Swoope each scored 11.7 ppg. Dmitri Thompson posted 8.9 ppg as a junior last season.
• Thompson, Dawkins, Jack Anton, Jack George and Collin Luther make up this year’s senior class.
• Elon also made three additions this past offseason, bringing in freshman guard Nathan Priddy and forwards Simon Wright and Duje Radja into the fold.
SWOOPE THERE IT IS
• Dainan Swoope is Elon’s leading scorer through 15 games averaging 14.9 ppg, over a 3-point increase from 11.7 ppg last season. Swoope has scored in double figures 12 times thus far and is currently 12th in the CAA in scoring.
• The junior point guard makes 84.2% of his shots from the free throw line, which is 5th in the CAA, and he is tied for 1st in the league with 44 made three-pointers.
• Swoope is also 6th in the CAA in assists averaging 3.7 dimes per game this season. He ranks 7th in minutes per game 34.1.
• Before suffering an ankle injury in the second half at UNCG, Swoope was averaging 17.1 ppg in the first nine contests.
• He had 20+ points in four straight games from Nov. 17-22 and averaged 23.8 ppg during that span.
IT’S ALL ABOUT BALANCE
• All five of Elon’s starters are averaging doubles figures through 15 games this season. Swoope leads the way with 14.9 ppg, while Seibring is second averaging 12.7 ppg.
• Rounding out the top scorers are Brian Dawkins, who is averaging 11.5 ppg, Thompson who is at 10.8 ppg and Steven Santa Ana is adding 10.2 ppg.
• Elon has had 7 different players finish in double figures this season and 6 have led their team in scoring during games.
• The Phoenix has had at least three players finish in double-figures in 12 games this season. The only three times this season Elon had less in a game was two against Radford (11/22) and at UNCG (12/7) and one at Canisius (12/17).
PROVIDING A SPARK
• Sheldon Eberhardt has made an impact off the bench, scoring in double-figures three times this season for the Phoenix.
• He posted a career-high 10 assists in Elon’s victory over Saint Peter’s, which was the first time an Elon player had 10 or more assists in a game since Chris Long had 10 on Feb. 19, 2011 against UNCG.
• Eberhardt is currently averaging 6.4 points and a team-high 3.6 assists per contest. He also has the highest shooting percentage on the team at 50.7%.
CLOSING IN ON 1,000 POINTS
• Three Phoenix are less than 200 points away and two are less and 100 from reaching 1,000 career points. Elon currently has 39 players in program history that have reached the 1,000-point mark.
• Dmitri Thompson and Tyler Seibring each have 963 points and are 37 away from reaching the 1,000 point mark. Dainan Swoope has 889 career points, just 111 away.
• Seibring and Swoope would become the 11th and 12th players in program history to reach the 1,000 career-point total as juniors.
372 AND COUNTING
• The Elon program has made at least one three-point field goal in 372 consecutive games (not including exhibition games). The matchup on Feb. 4, 2017 at College of Charleston marked the 350th consective game.
• 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.
THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT NOV. 30…
• The Phoenix defeated USF by a score of 79-78 in overtime on Thursday, Nov. 30, inside Alumni Gym.
• For three straight seasons since 2015, Elon has now played an overtime game inside Alumni Gym and won on Nov. 30 for three straight years.
• Elon came back from an eight-point deficit with 18 seconds to play to force overtime and defeat Kennesaw State 103-93 on Nov. 30, 2015.
• Last season, Elon defeated FIU 84-81 in an overtime thriller on Nov. 30, 2016.
WHAT A THRILLER
• Elon erased a 13-point deficit to defeat Florida International in triple overtime on Friday, Nov. 17, to open the Black & Gold Shootout.
• It was only the second triple overtime game Elon has played since becoming a Division I program in 1999-2000.
• The Phoenix improves to 2-0 in triple overtime games since becoming a Division I program. Elon defeated UNCG 112-108 in the team’s last 3OT game on Feb. 28, 2004.
SCOUTING NORTHEASTERN
• Northeastern comes into the game with an 8-6 overall record and 1-1 mark in conference action after a narrow 71-70 setback against Hofstra on Tuesday night.
• The Huskies are in its 98th season as a program.
• Northeastern has an all-time record of 1,192-1,097 (.521) in 2,289 games.
• The Huskies are 377-254 (.597) all-time in conference play including a 119-84 (.586) record since joining the CAA in the 2005-06 season
• Northeastern amassed 12 regular season conference championships and eight tournament titles including a 2015 CAA title which sent NU to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 24 years.
• Bill Coen is in his 12th season as the leader of the Huskies and since Coen has taken the reins, Northeastern has accomplished the best win percentage amongst current CAA teams in conference and CAA tournament play with a 120-97 all-time mark.
• The Huskies have an individual leading the CAA in thefts as sophomore Shawn Occeus currently holds that position with 2.0 steals per game, a mark that ranks in the top of the NCAA.
• Anthony Green is shooting a remarkable 69.6 percent from the field in 2017-18 a mark that should rank first in the CAA and in a tie for fourth nationally.
• Under Coen, the Huskies are 83-21 when holding their opponents to under-60 points, a feat they have achieved twice this season
UP NEXT
The Phoenix closes its northern road trip on Sunday, Jan. 7, when it takes on the Hofstra Pride at 4 p.m. at the David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex.