BIRGMINGHAM, Ala. – Elon shot 65 percent and hit 10 three-pointers in the second half, but it was not enough to overcome the other sharpshooters in the building as the Samford Bulldogs hung on for the 87-78 victory over the visiting Phoenix in Saturday afternoon Southern Conference basketball from the Pete Hanna Center.
The teams combined for 26 buckets from beyond the arc, but it was Samford’s first-half shooting that propelled the Bulldogs to a 10-point halftime lead that proved the difference in the game.
“We couldn’t stop them,” Elon head coach Matt Matheny said. “They shot 60 percent in the first half and a lot were open looks. In the second half, we played more zone than we have in three years, but we struggled to get rebounds out of it and they made some big shots. I thought we played with an edge and offensively we were able to attack their match-up zone, but we couldn’t stop them.”
Samford (10-15, 7-7) nailed 15-of-25 field goals in the first half, building a lead as great as 15 points before taking a 40-30 advantage into the locker room. Despite managing eight offensive boards in the opening 20 minutes, Elon (13-12, 8-6) scored only one second-chance point as it struggled to find an offensive rhythm.
Elon guard Jack Isenbarger knocked down a career-best seven treys for a game-high 21 points. He has hit 37 three-pointers over the last nine games and his seven triples were the most since Drew Spradlin knocked down eight against Chattanooga on January 23, 2010. Isenbarger also had six assists on the evening.
Brett Ervin was a bright spot for the Phoenix, coming off the bench for 19 points and seven rebounds in 22 minutes. Ervin dropped in 7-of-9 field goals, including three from long range. Spradlin (14) and Sebastian Koch (10) also scored in double figures for the visitors.
Elon had difficulty containing Tyler Hood once again as the forward dropped 5-of-10 three-pointers to lead five Bulldogs in double figures with 20 points. Jeffrey Merritt nearly posted a double-double with 11 points and nine assists.
The Phoenix opened the final period with four three-pointers as Isenbarger’s fifth of the evening made it a six-point game, 48-42, with 15:50 to go. The Bulldogs answered with a 10-2 stretch that included three-pointers by Raijon Kelly and Tyler Hood to push the advantage back to 14, 61-47.
Elon nailed four more triples in a 19-8 run that spanned the next seven minutes as Bulldog head coach Jimmy Tillette called for a timeout after his team’s lead dwindled to 69-66 at the 5:43 mark.
The teams traded a few baskets before Kelly connected from deep to put Samford up 78-71 with 2:52 left. With only one team foul at this point, the Phoenix began to foul to push the Bulldogs into the bonus and extend the game. Samford made good from the charity stripe in the final minutes to escape with the win.
The Phoenix shot 49.1 percent for the game, including a 14-of-27 performance (51.9 percent) from 20.5 feet. Samford connected on a blistering 56.6 percent and knocked down 12-of-27 (44.4 percent) from downtown.
The high point of the first half may have been rookie Kevin Blake’s baseline drive that resulted in a one-handed slam at the 9:13 mark. An Isenbarger three followed and put the Phoenix within one, 21-20. Samford used a 17-3 stretch to take its biggest lead of the game, 38-23, with 2:29 to play before the break.
Ervin converted a three-point play and forward Lucas Troutman provided back-to-back buckets as Elon scored seven of final 10 points to close gap to 40-30 after 20 minutes of action.
Elon will close out its three-game road trip with a battle at Wofford on Wednesday, February 15. The Phoenix and Terriers will tip it up at 7 p.m. This week’s radio show will be held on Monday evening at the newly-opened Pandora’s Pies just down the road from Alumni Gym.