Elon WBB Phoenix Heads to Drexel for Final Road Game of Regular Season

ELON, N.C. – The Elon University women’s basketball team closes out its regular-season road schedule as the Phoenix visits Drexel for a matinee on Sunday afternoon, March 3, at the Daskalakis Athletic Center. The game is scheduled for a 2 p.m. start time.

GAME NOTES

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The game will be streamed on CAA.tv or through Drexel’s athletic website at drexeldragons.com. Fans can also listen to the game on WSOE 89.3 with Andrew Vendelis and Drew Gentry on the call. Other updates of the game between the Phoenix and the Dragons will be provided on Twitter at the handle @ElonWBasketball.

Series History (Drexel leads 6-4)
The Dragons own a 6-4 all-time advantage over the Phoenix since the two became league opponents in 2015. Drexel took the first game of the the season series with a 59-44 victory at Elon on Feb. 1. Sunday will be the Phoenix’s first trip to Drexel since last season’s CAA title game between the two teams.

Last Time Out
Emily Maupin posted her third 20-point game of the season, but the Phoenix would fall on the road at Delaware, 71-59, on Friday night, March 1. Maupin led all scorers with 21 points on 9-of-15 shooting and tied the team-lead with six rebounds. Brie Perpignan added 10 points for the maroon and gold, but the Blue Hens had four players score in double figures to earn the season series sweep over the Phoenix.

Fastbreaks
• Elon comes into Sunday’s contest with an 8-18 overall record and a 3-12 ledger in the CAA, which is currently ninth overall in the standings.
• Elon is sixth in the CAA in scoring at 62.8 points per game. The Phoenix is also in the top-five of the league in free throw percentage at .710 and three-point percentage at .311.
• Maupin has led the Phoenix in scoring 10 times this season and continues to be a key part of the Phoenix offense. The Charlottesville, Va., native is averaging a team-high 12.2 points per game after only averaging less than two a game during her freshman year. She has also scored in double figures in 16 games and is averaging 12.5 PPG during CAA play.
• Maupin’s 20-point game against the Blue Hens on Friday was her first since posting a career-high 26 versus UNCW on Jan. 13. She also scored 21 at Hampton.
• Maupin is in the top-three of the CAA in field-goal percentage at .482 percent. Her team-high 6.4 boards per game is seventh overall in the league.
• Perpignan has come on strong during league play in her first season with the Phoenix. The Alexandria, Va., native had her 11th double-digit scoring game of the season against the Blue Hens and the eighth out of her last 10 games. She is averaging 9.4 points per game during CAA play and is sixth overall in the league in field goal percentage at .467 percent.
• Jaylin Powell has provided a scoring boost for the Phoenix beyond the arc this season. The Raleigh, N.C., native currently leads the CAA in three-point percentage at .437 percent and is knocking down .465 percent from downtown in league games. Her overall percentage would stand as the best single-season performance in school history.
• Lexi Mercer ranks just outside the top-10 in three-pointers made per game in the CAA at 1.4 per contest. The junior leads the Phoenix with 36 makes from beyond the arc this season and twice tied a personal-best with five three-pointers in a game at College of Charleston and versus UNCW.
• 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 Drexel (20-6, 12-3 CAA)
The Dragons are 20-6 overall and second in the CAA standings with their 12-3 ledger. Drexel is coming off a 77-72 double overtime loss to William & Mary in its previous game on Friday night, snapping a 12-game winning streak. Despite the setback, Drexel remains one of the top teams in the country in scoring defense, holding opponents to only 48.7 points per game, and was first in the nation in scoring defense prior to its game versus the Tribe.

Bailey Greenberg leads Drexel and ranks second in the CAA in scoring at 18.3 points per game. The junior forward also is third in the league in rebounds at 7.1 per game, fifth in field goal percentage (.469) and fifth in minutes played per game at 34.8. The North Wales, Pa., native had 24 points in the Dragons’ victory at Elon earlier this season. Guard Aubree Brown is second in the CAA in assists per game at 4.5 per contest while Hannah Nihill is third in the league in steals at 1.9 per game.

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 returns to its home floor at Schar Center to close out the regular season, first with a game against Hofstra on Thursday, March 7. That game is scheduled for 7 p.m.