Elon WBB Phoenix Starts Three-Game Road Swing at William & Mary

ELON, N.C. – Starting a three-game road swing, the Elon University women’s basketball team treks to William & Mary for a Colonial Athletic Association matchup on Sunday, Jan. 20. The Phoenix and the Tribe are set to tip-off at 2 p.m. inside Kaplan Arena.

GAME NOTES

Follow @ElonWBasketball
The game will be streamed through William & Mary’s athletic website on tribeathletics.com. Fans can also listen to the game on WSOE 89.3. Other updates of the game between the Phoenix and the Tribe will be provided on Twitter at the handle @ElonWBasketball.

Series History (Elon leads 10-4)
Sunday’s matchup will be the 15th all-time meeting between both programs in a series going back to 1998. Elon has won two straight versus William & Mary and 10 out of the last 11. The Phoenix defeated the Tribe 67-50 in the quarterfinal round of the CAA Tournament last season in its most recent matchup. William & Mary did hand the Phoenix an 81-75 setback the last time the teams played in Williamsburg, Va.

Last Time Out
A second-half surge from UNCW handed the Phoenix a 75-70 defeat against the Seahawks on Sunday, Jan. 13, at Schar Center. Sophomore Emily Maupin had a career-high 26 points against UNCW and grabbed 11 rebounds for her third double-double of the season. Lexi Mercer added 17 points for the Phoenix and knocked down a career-best five treys versus the Seahawks, who earned their first win over Elon since 2015.

Fastbreaks
• Elon is currently second in the CAA in scoring at 69.4 points per game, slightly trailing leader Towson at 69.5. The Phoenix’s .415 field goal percentage is also second overall in the league behind Northeastern at .416.
• The Phoenix has made the most of its opportunities at the line this season, ranking 51st in the nation in free throws made with 230 and 66th in attempts with 326.
• Elon’s offense is paced by Maupin and her team-best 13.5 points per game. During CAA play, the Charlottesville, Va., native is averaging 18.3 points per contest and leads the league in field goal percentage at .533 percent.
• Mercer is second on the team at 12.1 points per game and leads the team in minutes played at 29.1 per contest. The Goldsboro, N.C., native has also upped her scoring during CAA play to 14.8 PPG and is hitting nearly 43 percent of her shots from three in league games.
• Sophomore Jaylin Powell leads the CAA in three-point percentage at .441 percent. The Raleigh, N.C., native is averaging 9.0 PPG in the last three contests with Elon winning two of those games.
• Maupin leads the Phoenix in rebounding at 6.9 boards per contest and is fifth overall in the CAA. Her three double-doubles is tied for the team-lead and is tied for the second-most in the CAA.
• 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 William & Mary (9-6, 2-2 CAA)
The Tribe are 9-6 on the season and 2-2 in the CAA standings after their last game versus College of Charleston on Sunday, which resulted in a 66-54 setback. The loss was only the second defeat for the Tribe on its home court, as William & Mary has posted a 5-2 ledger at Kaplan Arena this season.

William & Mary is averaging 64.1 points per game and is second in the CAA in three-pointers made this season at 7.5. Senior guard Bianca Boggs is fifth in the league at 17.5 points per game for the Tribe while being an all-around talent, ranking in the top-five of the CAA in rebounds (6.9 RPG), assists (3.9 APG) and steals (2.5 SPG). Two other players, Harper Birdsong (10.5 PPG) and Victoria Reynolds (10.1 PPG), join Boggs as double-digit scorers for the Tribe.

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
Elon heads to Towson for its second contest of a three-game road tilt next Friday, Jan. 25. The Phoenix and the Tigers tip-off at 7 p.m.