Elon MBB Outlasts Northeastern, 74-69, In Close Win On Saturday

ELON, N.C. – Elon University men’s basketball outlasted Northeastern, 74-69, to win a close one on Saturday, Feb. 1.

BOX SCORE | RESULTS | HIGHLIGHTS

Freshman guard Hunter McIntosh scored a career-high 24 points on 8-of-9 shooting for the Phoenix, adding five rebounds and three assists. Senior guard Marcus Sheffield chipped in 28 points, seven rebounds and three assists, while shooting 10-of-15 from the floor.

Northeastern guard Jordan Roland led the Huskies with 19 points and three rebounds, while forward Maxime Boursiquot logged 10 points and eight boards.

HIGHLIGHTS
With the game hanging in the balance and the Phoenix trailing 64-56 late in the second half, Marcus Sheffield caught fire and completely took over down the stretch. Sheffield opened what would eventually be an 18-5 Elon run with back-to-back buckets to bring the team within three. Moments later, Sheffield knocked down a triple to give the Phoenix a 66-64 lead with just over a minute remaining in the contest. After a quick score by Northeastern put the Huskies back on top, Sheffield responded with a strong take to the rim to score the hoop plus the harm and put Elon ahead for good. In the closing moments of the game, Sheffield knocked down three clutch free throws to cap a 14-points in four minutes burst for him, which secured the win for the Phoenix.

Trailing by one with just under 14 minutes remaining in the first half, Hunter McIntosh knocked down his first three of the evening to spark a 10-0 Phoenix burst. Shortly after, Marcus Sheffield and Federico Poser added back-to-back buckets of their own to put Elon on top by six. Kris Wooten capped the run with his first triple of the night to give the Phoenix a nine-point advantage at the midway point of the half. Elon would ride the momentum of its hot start all the way to a 36-30 halftime lead.

NOTES
– Tonight’s win moved the Phoenix to 7-7 at Schar Center this season, and marked its fourth victory of Northeastern in program history
– Elon has won two of its last three games – over JMU and Northeastern respectively
– The Phoenix was on fire all night, shooting a blistering season-high 61.4 percent from the field, including a season-high 52.6 percent clip from beyond the arc.
– Elon held a 28-24 advantage in points in the paint
– The Phoenix led by as much as 11, and held the lead for 24:09 of a possible 40 minutes
– Sheffield’s 28 points tonight marked the 3rd consecutive 20+ point game for the senior, and his 13th consecutive double-digit scoring effort
– McIntosh’s 24 points tonight set a new career-high for the freshman, and marked his 13th double-digit scoring effort so far this season
– Despite shooting a season best 61.4 percent from the field, the Phoenix attempted a season-low number of field goals (44)

UP NEXT
Elon will be back in action on Thursday, Feb. 6, to continue CAA play against UNCW. That matchup is slated for 7 p.m. in Wilmington, N.C., and will be streamed live on FloSports.