Elon WBB Welcomes Marist Friday Night at Schar Center

ELON, N.C. – The Elon University women’s basketball team concludes a short two-game homestand this Friday, Nov. 30, as the Phoenix welcomes Marist to Schar Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.

GAME NOTES

Follow @ElonWBasketball
The game will be streamed for free on Phoenix All-Access at elonphoenix.com. Fans can also listen to the game on WSOE 89.3. Other updates of the game between the Phoenix and the Red Foxes will be provided on Twitter at the handle @ElonWBasketball.

Series History (First-ever meeting)
Elon and Marist will meet on the hardwood for the first time on Friday.

Last Time Out
The Phoenix won its first-ever game at Schar Center with an 88-74 victory over Chowan on Wednesday night, Nov. 28, snapping a two-game losing streak. Sophomore Jaylin Powell posted a career-best 20 points and six three-pointers to lead three Phoenix players in double figures. Emily Maupin (15 points) and Brie Perpignan (13 points) joined Powell in double figures with the duo combining to go 12-for-14 from the field. Powell’s six triples was the most for an Elon player in a game since Zora Stephenson knocked down seven versus College of Charleston in 2015.

Fastbreaks
• As a team, Elon is averaging 73.2 points per game, which is currently leading the Colonial Athletic Association. The Phoenix also leads the the league in field goal percentage at .449 percent.
• Three active players are scoring in double-digits for the Phoenix with two others also looming around double figures. Maupin paces the team with her 13.0 PPG average while Lexi Mercer (12.3 PPG) and Ariel Colón (11.8 PPG) also are averaging double-digit points for the Phoenix.
• Colón leads the team in rebounding at 7.4 boards per contest, which is sixth overall in the CAA. The Orlando, Fla., native is also second on the team in assists with 11 behind Perpignan’s 13.
• Freshman Kayla Liles and redshirt freshman Ariana Nance made their first career starts versus Chowan. Liles played 20 minutes and had eight points against the Hawks while Nance played a team-high 31 minutes and scored seven.
• Freshman Tyja Traore grabbed a team-high six rebounds while scoring a season-best seven points against the Hawks on Wednesday.
• Elon returns eight letterwinners from its team that successfully defended its Colonial Athletic Association Tournament title and made a return trip to the NCAA Tournament a year ago.
• The Phoenix closed out 2017-18 with a 25-8 record overall and a 14-4 mark during league play including a 13-game winning streak to close out the regular season and conference tournament.
• The Phoenix was tabbed to finish third in the 2018-19 CAA Preseason Poll as conducted by the league’s head coaches on Oct. 18. Elon received one first-place vote en route to 61 points for a tie for third place. James Madison (79 points) and Drexel (71 points) were selected in front of the Phoenix, who tied with Delaware for third with 61 points.
• Elon returns three starters from last year’s team including sophomore guard Saadia Munford, an CAA All-Rookie team selection in 2017-18. Munford was chosen as a Preseason All-CAA selection this season with her spot on the third team.
• Additionally, the Phoenix added five newcomers to the 2018-19 roster, which will again be one of the youngest in the nation with only two upperclassmen and no seniors.

Scouting Marist (5-1)
The Red Foxes are coming off their first defeat of the season on Sunday, Nov. 25, with a 76-60 setback at the hands of Wright State at the Challenge in the Music City Tournament in Nashville. Prior to that game, Marist had started the season 5-0 including a 71-57 victory against fellow CAA foe Hofstra on Saturday, Nov. 24. Coming off a postseason WNIT berth, a 20-win season and a trip in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference championship game, Marist was tabbed to finish second in the 2018-19 MAAC Preseason Poll. The Red Foxes are also currently ninth in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top-25 poll.

Marist is averaging 70.2 points per game and is shooting at .429 percent from the field. Junior guard Rebekah Hand is averaging nearly 20 points per game (19.7 PPG) to lead the Red Foxes and is shooting over 50 percent from behind the three-point arc (19-for-37). Redshirt junior forward Alana Gilmer is the other Marist player scoring in double digits at 12.2 PPG.

Schar Center
After playing its home games in Alumni Gym since the start of the program in 1972, Elon moves into its new facility, Schar Center, this season. The 5,100-seat facility will provide an elite venue for Phoenix basketball and volleyball games in addition to convocations, speakers and other major campus events. The facility is named for Dwight and Martha Schar, of Palm Beach, Fla.

20-Game Winners
With 25 victories last season, Elon posted back-to-back 20-win campaigns for the first time as a Division I program. Overall, Elon has posted three 20-win seasons during the Division I era.

Up Next
The Phoenix hits the road for a trip to Hampton on Sunday, Dec. 2, at the Hampton University Convocation Center. Game time is scheduled for 3 p.m.