Tribe Outlast Elon WBB Phoenix, 64-59

ELON, N.C. – The Elon University women’s basketball team dropped a close 64-59 battle versus William & Mary in a Colonial Athletic Association contest on Sunday, Feb. 17, inside Schar Center.

BOX SCORE

The Phoenix (8-15, 3-9 CAA) shot 21-of-48 overall from the field with three players scoring in double figures. Emily Maupin had a game-high 16 points for Elon while Brie Perpignan chipped in with 13 points and a team-best four assists. Jaylin Powell rounded out the double-digit scorers for the Phoenix with 11 points.

William & Mary’s Eva Hodgson led the Tribe with 14 points while Harper Birdsong and Bianca Boggs both had 13, with Boggs adding a game-high nine rebounds. Victoria Reynolds added 12 points for the Tribe, who snapped a four-game losing streak.

The Rundown
William & Mary used a 15-2 run over the first 7:42 of the opening quarter to create a 13-point cushion. Elon answered with back-to-back triples from Anna Popovic and Powell to trim the Tribe’s lead to 15-8 at the 1:11 mark. That run would extend to 8-3 over the final two minutes and the Phoenix cut the Tribe’s lead to 18-10 after the first quarter of play.

Elon went to work in the second quarter to continue to cut into W&M’s lead. Trailing by eight with 5:51 on the clock, the Phoenix mounted a 6-0 run capped off by Maupin’s layup at the 4:28 mark to make the score 24-22. Although the Tribe moved out to a five-point lead, the Phoenix were able to make it a 29-28 lead right before Nyla Pollard split a pair of free throws to give William & Mary a 30-28 lead at the half.

The Phoenix opened the third stanza taking its first lead of the game, 33-30, on Powell’s second three-pointer of the day at the 9:02 mark. Down 37-35 with 4:53 remaining in the quarter, William & Mary mounted a 7-0 surge to take a 42-37 advantage after Reynolds’ fast break layup. Elon would make a slight indent into the deficit heading into the fourth quarter as Perpignan’s fast break layup with 39 seconds on the clock made it a four-point Tribe lead at 45-41.

Undaunted, the Phoenix continued to fight back at the start of the fourth quarter and leveled the score 47-47 after Powell’s triple at the 7:55 mark. Elon would then take its first lead of the quarter at 51-50 after Perpignan’s free throw with 5:35 remaining. Perpignan would come up big again at the 4:01 mark as her three-point play gave the Phoenix a 57-53 cushion. However, the Tribe answered with a quick 6-0 run over the next minute to take a 59-57 lead. Maupin’s two free throws with 2:42 on the clock tied up the game 59-59, but the Tribe shut out the Phoenix in the final minutes and outscored Elon to earn the 64-59 victory.

Up Next
The Phoenix welcomes CAA-leader James Madison to Schar Center next Friday, Feb. 22, with the Phoenix and the Dukes set for a 7 p.m. tip-off.