Elon Hosts College of Charleston Saturday Night

ELON, N.C. – The teams with the two best records in the Southern Conference collide on Saturday night, Dec. 1, in Alumni Gym, as the Elon University men’s basketball team hosts the College of Charleston Cougars.

THE SERIES: Saturday marks the 17th all-time meeting between Elon and College of Charleston, as the Cougars lead the series, 11-5. The series between the two schools dates back to the 1992-93 season when CofC won the first ever meeting, 85-53, on February 15, 1993 in Charleston, S.C. Elon is 3-2 against the Cougars all-time at home, which includes a pair of overtime wins. Elon topped CofC in double OT last year, 99-98, and 87-88 on February 20, 2008 in OT.

LAST MEETING: Saturday is the first meeting between the two schools since Elon came away with a 99-98 double overtime win last season on February 2. Egheosa Edomwonyi came up with a key block on CofC’s Andrew Lawrence with one second remaining to help the Phoenix hold on to the one-point win. Nine players scored in double figures in the contest, as Lucas Troutman and Jack Isenbarger tallied 26 and 25 points, respectively, while Lawrence led all players with 32 points in 50 minutes. Isenbarger ended the night having played a team-high 47 minutes for the Phoenix.

ON THE HORIZON: Following Saturday’s tilt against College of Charleston, Elon jumps back into non-conference action when it hosts Dartmouth on Dec. 4 at 7 p.m. inside Alumni Gym.

HOT START: Elon is 5-2 over the first seven games for the second straight season. Prior to last year, the last time an Elon team began the year with five wins in its first seven games was the 1996-97 season.

TROUTMAN HONORED: Lucas Troutman was named the Southern Conference Player of the Week on Nov. 27. Troutman averaged 16.5 points and 7.0 rebounds as the Phoenix went 1-1 last week. Elon knocked off South Carolina (62-53) on the road before falling at VMI (90-81). The Belton, S.C., native led all scorers with 17 points at South Carolina. He finished 8-of-12 from the field and added six rebounds and three steals. Troutman poured in 16 points and eight rebounds three days later at VMI.

LOOKING BACK: A stingy defensive effort helped Elon to victory on opening night in the Southern Conference, as the Phoenix came up with a 55-50 win over the Georgia Southern Eagles on Nov. 28, inside Hanner Fieldhouse. Elon held GSU to 30 percent shooting in the second half, not allowing the Eagles a field goal make for a 10-minute stretch in the during the final 20 minutes to help secure the win. The team’s win in a conference opener on the road was its first since 2006.