ELON, N.C. – Elon University men’s basketball dropped a close one to Delaware, 81-75, on Thursday, Feb. 13, behind a late 7-0 run by the Blue Hens.
Senior guard Marcus Sheffield continued his strong play as of late, posting 24 points, six rebounds and six assists, on 9-of-18 shooting from the floor. Freshman guard Hunter McIntosh chipped in 14 points, five assists and four rebounds in the loss.
Delaware guard Nate Darling supplied 24 points and three rebounds on the evening, including a late three to put the Blue Hens ahead for good.
HIGHLIGHTS
Trailing by nine with 10:12 left in the game, Simon Wright and Andy Pack drilled back-to-back threes to spark an 11-1 Phoenix run. With just under eight minutes remaining in the contest, McIntosh knocked down another Elon triple to cut Delaware’s lead to one. Moments later, Sheffield dropped in a smooth floater over a Delaware defender to give the Phoenix a 65-64 lead with 7:06 to play.
From there, both sides traded buckets over the next five minutes to bring the score to an even 70-70 with 2:21 remaining. After a Chuck Hannah layup gave Elon a three-point advantage at the 1:20 mark, Delaware got hot from the floor and closed the game on a 7-0 run. The run, highlighted by Nate Darling’s three with 21 seconds left, secured the win for the Blue Hens.
The Phoenix came out of the gates firing in the first half, jumping out to an early 12-6 lead. Elon went 5-of-5 from the floor during the stretch, which was highlight by Sheffield’s early three that moved him past 1,000 career points.
After falling behind 31-20 with just over eight minutes remaining in the opening half, five quick points from Pack and Sheffield ignited a late Phoenix run. Shortly after Sheffield knocked down a three, Wright drained a triple of his own to bring Elon back within five. McIntosh culminated the 11-2 burst with two free throws that brought the score to 33-30 with 3:47 left in the first half.
Despite a late surge by the Phoenix, Delaware entered the break leading 43-38.
NOTES
– Elon shot 50.0 percent from the floor, including a 44.1 percent clip from beyond the arc
– The Phoenix held a 20-18 advantage in points off turnovers, and a 17-10 advantage in bench points
– Elon posted 19 assists on the evening, the team’s fifth-highest mark this season
– The Phoenix knocked down 15 threes, the most since the team tied a program record with 19 against N.C. Wesleyan on Dec. 14, 2019
– Sheffield’s first made basket of the night moved him past 1,000 points for his career
– Sheffield’s 24 points tonight marked the 16th consecutive double-digit scoring effort for the senior, and his 24th overall this season.
– McIntosh’s 14 points on the night marked the 14th double-figure scoring effort for the freshman this season
UP NEXT
Elon will be back in action on Saturday, Feb. 15, to continue CAA play against Drexel. That matchup is slated for 4 p.m. at Schar Center and will be streamed live on FloSports.