Elon MBB Hosts Randolph College in Preseason Exhibition on Tuesday

ELON, N.C. – Elon University men’s basketball team plays its lone preseason exhibition tune-up on Tuesday night, Oct. 30, at 7 p.m. against the Randolph College WildCats as the Phoenix prepares to begin its first season inside of Schar Center.

The price of admission for reserved seating is $20. Tickets to the game are included in purchases of season ticket packages. To purchase season tickets for the 2018-19 Elon men’s basketball campaign, click here.

COVERAGE
Listen to the Elon IMG Sports Network coverage on Phoenix All-Access or on the TuneIn app. Taylor Durham and Brian Morris will have the call from Schar Center with the pregame show beginning at 6:30 p.m.

SCHAR CENTER
• Elon University men’s basketball will play its games inside its new facility, Schar Center, this season after calling Alumni Gym its home since since 1950.
• Schar Center officially opened its doors in July of 2018 and was dedicated on October, 19, 2018. The 161,000-square-foot convocation center has a current capacity of 5,100-seats.
• Not only does it serve as the home for Phoenix basketball and volleyball programs, but it also serves as an event venue that will provide a large gathering space for a wide variety of major campus events such as convocations and concerts.
• The facility is named for Dwight and Martha Schar, of Palm Beach, Fla., parents of Stuart Schar ’16 and Spencer Schar ’19.
• Among Elon’s most generous donors for the project, the Schars have contributed $13 million to the university to provide lead funding for the convocation center and the expanded School of Communications facilities, which features Dwight C. Schar Hall as the centerpiece.

THE MATCHUP
• This will be the third consecutive season that Elon and Randolph College have faced each other in a preseason exhibition.
• The Phoenix defeated the WildCats 99-63 last season on Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2017 inside Alumni Gym, the former home arena of the Phoenix.
• In the last matchup, Karolis Kundrotas led the way with a double-double scoring 14 points and grabbing a game-high 11 rebounds.
• Additionally, Dainan Swoope added a game-high 17 points, Sheldon Eberhardt scored 14 points.
• Tyler Seibring tied Kundrotas with a game-high 11 rebounds and dished out a team-high five assists for the Phoenix

EXHIBITION GAMES
• The Phoenix owns a perfect 11-0 record in exhibition games under head coach Matt Matheny.
• In addition to Randolph College, prior opponents in the last 11 contests have included William Peace, Emory & Henry, Lynchburg, Ferrum, Washington & Lee, and Greensboro College.

ABOUT ELON
• Heading into the 2018-19 season, Elon University men’s basketball returns 11 total players and three of its five starters from a year ago in Tyler Seibring, Dainan Swoope and Steven Santa Ana.
• The Phoenix returns four of its top six scorers, including its 2017-18 leading scorer and rebounder in Seibring (15.4 ppg, 6.8 rpg). Elon has two 1,000-point scorers on its roster in Seibring (1,267 points) and Swoope (1,050 points). Santa Ana is just 87 points away from becoming the 43rd player in program history to reach the 1,000-point plateu.
• Elon is led by senior forward Seibring, who is a two-time All-CAA selection and CoSIDA Academic All-American.
• The program’s senior class is made up of five players in Seibring, Swoope, Santa Ana, Sheldon Eberhardt and Karolis Kundrotas. The four players have combined to play in a total of 437 games and make 209 starts.
• Additionally, the Phoenix has made four new additions to the squad for 2018-19 in first-year players Chuck Hannah, Andy Pack, Federico Poser and Kris Wooten.
• Elon made an average 10.5 three pointers per game last season, which ranked second in the CAA and 13th in the nation. Seibring made 82 of Elon’s three pointers last season, which was tied for the second-most in a single season in program history.
• The Phoenix has been predicted to finish eighth in the league as the CAA released its preseason men’s basketball poll on Oct. 17, during the conference’s digital media day. Northeastern was picked the favorite to win the league. Tyler Seibring collected preseason All-CAA honors as he was named to the second team.

LOOKING AHEAD TO 2018-19
• Elon’s 110th season of basketball will open with a marquee matchup as the Elon Phoenix hosts the No. 8-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels in the program’s first regular season basketball game inside Schar Center. The game is set for Friday, Nov. 9, on ESPNU.
• Prior to that contest, the Phoenix will open the 2018-19 season on Nov. 6 on the road at Manhattan. Elon will then compete in the Tiger Thanksgiving Classic, Nov. 22-24, at Pacific University on Thanksgiving week. Elon has a combined 11-1 record in its last three early-season tournaments.
• During its non-conference slate, the Phoenix plays host to seven home contests, which include North Carolina, Boston University, Furman, UNCG and Canisius.
• Elon opens CAA play with a pair of home contests against Towson (Dec. 28) and James Madison (Dec. 30).

SCOUTING RANDOLPH COLLEGE
• Randolph College is a NCAA Division III institution out of Lynchburg, Va. They compete in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC).
• The ‘Cats finished the 2017-18 season with a 7-20 overall and 3-13 in the ODAC, which was last in the conference.
• After leading scorer and third team All-ODAC selection Ryan Fields (15.7 ppg) departed the program after graduation, the team will be leaning on the leadership of senior Sammy Hooper. He finished second on the team in scoring at 13.6 points per contest. Junior Brian Smith, who was third on the team in scoring last season, also returns for the ‘Cats.
• The WildCats are led this season by head coach Pete Hamilton, who is in his third season with the program.

UP NEXT
The Phoenix opens its 2018-19 season with a road game on Tuesday, Nov. 6, at Manhattan at 8:30 p.m. Elon will then host its inaugural men’s basketball game inside the brand new Schar Center on Friday, Nov. 9, against the North Carolina Tar Heels at 7 p.m. on ESPNU.