CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Coupled with a season-high 26 points from sophomore Jack Isenbarger, the Elon Phoenix gutted out a crucial 71-63 Southern Conference road victory over Western Carolina at the Ramsey Center on Thursday night. Elon answered every punch the Catamounts threw, its defense limiting WCU to 35 percent from the field, including a 22 percent performance from beyond the arc.
With a 5-3 league record, the Phoenix (10-9 overall) remains atop the North Division as Elon heads to Boone, N.C., for a date with Appalachian State on Saturday. Elon’s win was its first in Cullowhee since 2007 and first over Western (9-12, 3-5) in four games.
Isenbarger nailed two of his first three attempts from downtown en route to a 7-of-13 shooting night that saw the guard with 16 first-half points. The sharpshooter drained five triples and had the team’s best night from the charity stripe, hitting 7-of-8 free throws. Eight of Isenbarger’s points came during a 14-4 Elon run to close the opening half, giving the Phoenix a lead it would never relinquish.
“We just wanted to come out and attack from the start,” Isenbarger said when asked about his early shooting touch. “Anytime you are on the road it is important to come out with confidence. One thing Coach Matheny has stressed is mental toughness and I think we showed that tonight.”
Elon shot 47 percent from long range, a critical statistic because the Phoenix struggled from 15 feet. Elon got to the line 38 times, in large part because Western Carolina tried to take advantage of the Phoenix’s poor night from the foul line. Elon managed only 21 free throws, but combined defense with key offensive plays to pull out the win.
Western Carolina finished the second half with nine field goals, but four of those came in the last 1:32 after the Phoenix had built its biggest lead of the night at 61-49. Elon turned 16 Catamount turnovers into 15 points.
The Phoenix also got double digit scoring from Austin Hamilton (13) and Sebastian Koch (12). Hamilton had five assists as Elon had assists on 13 of 21 buckets. Forward Ryley Beaumont pulled down 10 rebounds.
Western had three in double figures as well with Trey Sumler’s 18 leading the way. Elon held the Catamounts’ leading scorer Harouna Mutombo to a season-low three points.
The Catamounts broke a 14-14 tie with an 8-1 run that forced an Elon timeout at the 8:05 mark of the first half. The Phoenix responded, scoring 10 unanswered points and holding WCU to only four points for the remainder of the period. An Isenbarger trey sent the visitors to the locker room with a 29-26 advantage.
Both teams started slow on the offensive end in the final half. Elon grew its lead to 39-34, before a 7-3 Western run closed the gap to 42-41with 10:16 to go. Once again it was Isenbarger with trey that sparked the Phoenix offense. Big man Lucas Troutman found Beaumont open under the basket on the next possession and then a Troutman tip-in on the following trip made it 49-41 in favor of the Phoenix.
Western would never get closer than five points for the remainder of the contest and a 10-3 Elon run spanning six minutes put the visitors on top, 61-49, with 1:53 left. It became a free throw shooting affair for the final two minutes. Elon sank enough freebies and finished strong on defense to leave with the victory.
The win gives Elon back-to-back victories for the first time since mid-December. The Phoenix has had at least one 20-point scorer in the last two games.
Elon will have a quick turnaround before a 2 p.m. tip against the Appalachian State Mountaineers on Saturday, January 28. ASU has won the last six meetings between the two teams.