Elon MBB Phoenix Opens December Hosting Boston University

ELON, N.C. – Elon University men’s basketball begins the month of December with a matchup against the Boston University Terriers on Saturday night, Dec. 1, at 2 p.m. inside Schar Center. The game is the second of Elon’s five-game homestand inside Schar Center, which began on Tuesday, Nov. 27.

GAME NOTES | PREVIEW

COVERAGE
You can watch the game live on Phoenix All-Access at elonphoenix.com/live, or you can follow the action on CAA.tv and the CAA.tv app. The Phoenix All-Access and Elon IMG Sports Network coverage will be provided by Taylor Durham and Brian Morris. The Elon IMG Sports Network audio broadcast pregame show will begin at 1:30 p.m.

THE MATCHUP
• Saturday afternoon’s matchup against the Boston University Terriers will be the second all-time meeting between the two schools.
• Both teams met for the first time last season on Dec. 17, 2017 at Case Gym in Boston.
• The Phoenix earned the 77-69 victory as Steven Santa Ana led all Elon players in scoring with 19 points. He also grabbed six rebounds and had five assists.
• In addition to Santa Ana, three other players in Tyler Seibring (15) Dainan Swoope(14) and Dmitri Thompson (12) finished in double figures.
• Cedric Hankerson led Boston University in scoring with 22 points against the Phoenix.

SEIBRING NAMED SENIOR CLASS AWARD CANDIDATE
• Tyler Seibring has been named one of the 30 NCAA Division men’s basketball candidates for the 2018-18 Senior CLASS Award®
• The Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
• Seibring carries a 3.91 grade-point average as a double major in English and Economics.
• The Senior CLASS Award winner will be announced during the 2019 NCAA Men’s Final Four® this spring.

JOINING THE 1,000-POINT CLUB
• Senior guard Steven Santa Ana became the 43rd player in program history to reach 1,000-career points against Central Penn on Nov. 27.
• Elon currently has three 1,000-point scorers on the team in Tyler Seibring, Dainan Swoope and Steven Santa Ana. Swoope and Seibring each joined the 1,000-point club as juniors.
• Seibring was the first to join, becoming the 40th player overall and the 11th junior to reach the mark. Dainan Swoope became the 42nd player overall, the 12th junior.

ABOUT ELON
• Elon returns 11 total players and three of its five starters from a year ago.
• 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).
• 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.
• Elon made four new additions to the squad for 2018-19 in first-year players Chuck Hannah, Andy Pack, Federico Poser and Kris Wooten.
• 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. Tyler Seibring collected preseason All-CAA honors as he was named to the second team.

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.

LOOKING AHEAD TO 2018-19
• Elon’s 110th season of basketball opened 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.
• 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 BU
• BU collected two first-place votes while finishing fourth overall in the Patriot League preseason poll after posting a 15-16 record and 10-8 conference mark.
• Boston University has finished in the top five all five years in the PL and is coming off back-to-back PL semifinal appearances.
• Eighth-year head coach Joe Jones ranks No. 2 all-time at BU with 125 career victories.
• Boston University has three players averaging double figures, led by Max Mahoney’s 13.4 per game. Tyler Scanlon, who is averaging 12.9 points per game, leads the team with 5.3 rebounds.
• BU has posted wins against CAA favorite Northeastern, Emerson, Albany (N.Y.), New Hampshire.

UP NEXT
The Phoenix returns to Schar Center on Tuesday, Dec. 4, to face off against former Southern Conference rival Furman at 7 p.m. That game can be viewed live on elonphoenix.com through Phoenix All-Access.