Elon MBB Hosts Hofstra in Alumni Gym on Thursday

ELON, N.C. – Elon University men’s basketball returns to Alumni Gym on Thursday, Feb. 8, to face the Hofstra Pride in a Colonial Athletic Association contest at 7 p.m. This is the second time the teams have faced each other this season as both teams have just one game separating them in the league standings.
GAME NOTES (PDF) | PREVIEW

COVERAGE
Watch the Phoenix in action against the Blue Hens on Phoenix All-Access as Matt Krause and Jake Young will have the call. You can listen to the Elon IMG Sports Network broadcast of the game on WSJS 104.5 FM and 1200 AM as Taylor Durham and Brian Morris will call the action with the pregame show starting at 6:30 p.m.

FREE PIZZA FEBRUARY
Every men’s and women’s basketball home game in Alumni Gym this month is part of Free Pizza February! Get to the game early as Pizza will be provided to all Elon University students attending the games.

THE SERIES
• Thursday marks the 9th all-time meeting between the Phoenix and the Pride. The last six meetings have occurred since the Phoenix joined the CAA in 2014-15. Hofstra holds the 5-3 lead all-time against Elon as the Phoenix defeated the Pride 89-76 in the first meeting this season on Jan. 7, 2018.
• After Hofstra had won the first five matchups, Elon swept the season-series in 2016-17. The Phoenix defeated the Pride 96-80 on
Jan. 12, 2017 inside Alumni Gym, then earned an 84-70 victory on Jan. 28, 2017 in Hempstead, N.Y.
• Prior to joining the CAA, Elon’s first-ever meeting against the Pride was during the 2009-10 NIT Season Tip-Off.

A LOOK AT ELON
• The Phoenix has a 14-11 record overall and owns a 6-6 mark in CAA play after an 89-76 win over Delaware on Saturday night. Dainan Swoope eclipsed 1,000-career points during the contest and Elon improved to 8-2 at home.
• Elon is currently 4th in the CAA Standings, just three games out of first, two out of second and a game away from 3rd.
• Tyler Seibring was named CAA Co-Player of the Week on Feb. 5 and has been solid in his first 12 conference games, averaging 18.8 points and 7.4 rebounds. He is also shooting 56% from the floor and 52.1% from deep.
• Seibring and Thompson each scored their 1,000th career point on Jan. 7 in a win at Hofstra. Swoope became the 42nd player in program history to reach 1,000 points on Feb. 3 against Delaware.
• Elon is scoring 75.9 ppg and allowing 75.0 ppg thus far through 25 games. The team has only been held to under 70 points 6 times and under 60 points just twice this season.
• Offensively, Elon ranks 2nd in the CAA averaging 11.0 made three-pointers. Elon also is 2nd in the league averaging with 16.2 assists per contest.
• The Phoenix is improving defensively, allowing teams to shoot 42.8% from the floor which ranks 3rd overall in the CAA. Elon’s 44.1% field goal percentage defense in CAA games ranks 2nd in the league. Elon is also 1st in the league in defensive rebounds, averaging 28.5 per game.
• Tyler Seibring is currently Elon’s leading scorer at 15.2 ppg. Seibring is also 11th in the league averaging a team-best 6.6 rpg and is 2nd in the CAA with a 46.7% 3-point field goal percentage. Dainan Swoope is 4th in the CAA with 3.8 apg.
• Eberhardt is tied for the 2nd-best assist/turnover ratio in the CAA with a 2.4 ratio with 76 assists to 32 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, Thompson, Jack Anton, Jack George and Collin Luther make up this year’s senior class.
• Elon also made three additions in freshman guard Nathan Priddy and forwards Simon Wright and Duje Radja.

SEIBRING HONORED
Tyler Seibring was named CAA Co-Player of the Week after averaging 26.0 points and 8.0 rebounds in Elon’s 1-1 week. The Normal, Ill. native shot 67.9% (19-28) from the floor, 88.9% (8-9) from 3-point range and was a perfect 6-of-6 at the free throw line. Seibring shared the weekly honor with Joe Chealey of College of Charleston.

IT’S ALL ABOUT BALANCE
• All five of Elon’s starters are averaging doubles figures through 25 games this season. Seibring leads the way with 15.2 ppg, while Swoope is second averaging 13.8 ppg.
• Rounding out the top five scorers are Brian Dawkins and Dmitri Thompson (12.0 ppg), followed by Steven Santa Ana who is scoring 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 21 games this season. The only 4 times this season that the Phoenix has had less in a game was two against Radford (11/22), at UNCG (12/7) and at Northeastern (1/5) and one at Canisius (12/17).

JOINING THE 1,000-POINT CLUB
• Dmitri Thompson and Tyler Seibring each joined the 1,000-point club on Sunday, Jan. 7, at Hofstra. Dainan Swoope is the 3rd player this season to join the club after doing so on Feb. 3 against Delaware.
• Seibring was the first to join, becoming the 40th player overall and the 11th junior to reach the mark.
• Thompson followed becoming the 41st player in 109 seasons of Elon basketball to reach 1,000 career points.
• Dainan Swoope became the 42nd player overall, the 12th junior, and third player this season to join the club.
• Brian Dawkins is the next closest with 908 career points and needs 92 to join the club.

COMING UP BIG IN LEAGUE PLAY
• After averaging 11.9 points and 5.8 rebounds during non-conference play, Tyler Seibring has increased his averages to 18.8 points, which ranks 6th in the CAA, and 7.4 rebounds in league games.
• Seibring is 2nd in the CAA with 37-made three-pointers and leads the league in three-point field goal percentage (52.1%) in CAA contests.
• The Phoenix continues to improve defensively in league play, holding teams to 44.1% shooting from the field in CAA games, which ranks 2nd in the league.

SWOOPE THERE IT IS
• Dainan Swoope has shown improvement on the scoring end his junior campaign, averaging 13.8 ppg this season in comparison to his 11.7 ppg last season. Swoope has scored in double figures 18 times thus far and has a team-high 8 games of 20+ points.
• Swoope is also 4th in the CAA in assists averaging 3.8 dimes per game this season.
• The junior finished the non-conference portion of the schedule averaging 14.7 ppg and shot 85.1% from the free throw line.
• 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.

PROVIDING A SPARK
• Sheldon Eberhardt has made an impact off the bench, scoring in double-figures four times this season for the Phoenix. The last time he scored in double figures was when he chipped in 13 points on Jan. 25 at Drexel.
• 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 5.7 points and is 2nd on the team with 3.2 assists per contest. He also has one of the highest shooting percentages on the team at 48.7%.

LET IT FLY
• The Phoenix is 2nd in the CAA and 10th in the NCAA with 11.0 three-pointers made per game.
• Elon’s 274 total three-pointers this season ranks 1st in the CAA and 6th in the NCAA.
• The maroon and gold also ranks first in the league with 749 three-point attempts, which ranks 7th nationally.

382 AND COUNTING
• The Elon program has made at least one three-point field goal in 382 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.

FINAL SEASON OF ALUMNI GYM
• The 2017-18 season marks the 67th and final year of competition inside historic Alumni Gym as the program is set to relocate to the Schar Center for the 2018-19 campaign. The arena opened its doors in 1950.

HOME COURT ADVANTAGE
• Elon has a 8-2 record overall record at home and has three sellouts this year in its final season inside Alumni Gym.
• Since the 2011-12 season, Elon has a 67-30 record (31-8 vs. non-conference teams) inside Alumni Gym. Elon has sold out Alumni Gym 21 times under head coach Matt Matheny, with its most recent sellout coming on Jan. 11, 2018. Matheny is 15-8 all-time in front of sellout crowds in Alumni Gym.

UP NEXT
The Phoenix begins its second three-game road swing in conference play season on Thursday, Feb. 15, as the Phoenix heads south to face the UNCW Seahawks at 7 p.m. inside Trask Coliseum.