Elon WBB Back on the Road at Towson on Friday

ELON, N.C. – The Elon University women’s basketball team looks to stop a two-game losing skid as the Phoenix heads to Towson for a Colonial Athletic Association contest against the Tigers on Friday night, Jan. 25. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. from the SECU Arena.

GAME NOTES

Follow @ElonWBasketball
The game will be streamed on Towson’s athletic website at towsontigers.com. Fans can also listen to the game on WSOE 89.3 with David Flynt and Tellier Lundquist on the call. Other updates of the game between the Phoenix and the Tigers will be provided on Twitter at the handle @ElonWBasketball.

Series History (Elon leads 7-1)
In a series dating to when Elon became a member of the CAA in 2015, the Phoenix leads in the all-time series versus the Tigers, 7-1. Last season, Elon swept the season series with the most recent contest being a 71-45 victory in Towson for the maroon and gold. The Tigers’ lone victory in the series came in 2016 on its home floor, 85-78.

Last Time Out
Elon battled to take the lead in the third quarter, but was not able to pull out a victory at William & Mary last Sunday, Jan. 20, falling to the Tribe, 65-60. After trailing by five at halftime, Elon outscored William & Mary, 20-14, in the third quarter to take a one-point lead going into the fourth. The Tribe held the Phoenix to just nine points in the final period to hand Elon its second straight loss. Jaylin Powell had her first career double-double in the contest with 13 points and 11 rebounds off the bench.

Fastbreaks
• The Phoenix heads into its matchup versus the Tigers at 7-9 overall on the season and with a 2-3 ledger in the CAA, which is seventh overall in the league standings.
• Elon is third in the CAA in scoring at 68.8 points per game. The Phoenix’s .415 field goal percentage is also second overall in the league behind Northeastern at .420.
• The Phoenix has made the most of its opportunities at the charity stripe this season, ranking 65th in the nation in free throws made with 241 and 75th in attempts with 343.
• Sophomore Emily Maupin leads the Phoenix in scoring at 13.3 points per game and also in rebounding at 6.8 boards per contest. The Charlottesville, Va., native is hitting .534 percent of her shots, which leads the CAA.
• Lexi Mercer is second on the team at 11.5 points per game and leads the team in minutes played at 29.4 per contest. The Goldsboro, N.C., native has knocked down a team-best 27 treys on the year and ranks in the top-10 of the CAA in three-pointers per game at 1.8.
• Powell is second in CAA in three-point percentage at .421 percent. The Raleigh, N.C., native is averaging 8.4 points per game during CAA play while shooting .520 percent from the floor overall.
• Saadia Munford is third in the CAA in free throw percentage at .817. She is also leads the team in assists with 3.2 per game.
• 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 Towson (11-6, 5-1 CAA)
Towson enters Friday’s contest with a 11-6 overall record and is tied for first in the league standings with James Madison at 5-1. The Tigers are coming off a 77-73 defeat at UNCW last Sunday in their most recent contest, but had won six straight prior to that game. Towson has also posted a 5-0 record on its home floor this season.

The Tigers lead the CAA in scoring at 69.7 points per game and in steals at 9.7 per contest. Towson is also second in the league in blocked shots at 6.1 per game. Redshirt sophomore guard Kionna Jeter leads the league in scoring at 21.8 points per game and enters Friday’s game with a current six-game streak of scoring 20 points or more. Junior Nukiya Mayo is the only other double-digit scorer for Towson at 13.9 points per game and leads the team with 7.2 rebounds per contest. Redshirt junior guard Qierra Murray is second in the CAA in assists per game at 4.5 per contest.

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 closes out its road trip with a visit to James Madison on Sunday, Jan. 27. Elon and JMU will tip-off at 2 p.m. inside the JMU Convocation Center.