Phoenix Women’s Basketball Welcomes Spartans for Monday Matchup

ELON, N.C. – The Elon women’s basketball (7-7, 4-1) team will be looking for its fourth straight win when it hosts local Southern Conference opponent UNCG (3-11, 0-5) on Monday, Jan. 14, in Alumni Gym for a 7 p.m. tip. Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for all youth 12 and under.

Monday, Jan. 14
Site: Elon, N.C. (Alumni Gym)
Series: UNCG leads, 23-17
Last Meeting: Feb. 6, 2012 – Elon won, 69-50
Radio: WSOE 89.3 FM – Christian Binder and Greg Brzozowski will have the call

Last Time Out
Elon picked up its third straight win on Wednesday at Wofford after finishing a stretch of three games in five days. The 67-57 win saw four players (Kelsey Evans, Sam Coffer, Kelsey Harris and Ali Ford) finish in double figures, while the defense forced 21 turnovers. The Phoenix shot almost 40 percent after making 22-of-58 from the field with 32 points coming in the paint. The maroon and gold made a season-high 21free throws off 24 attempts to finish 87 percent from the charity stripe.

Scouting the Spartans
UNCG fell to Furman in its last outing, 67-58, and is still looking for its first conference win this season. Junior forward Janae’ Stevenson recorded a double-double against the Paladins with 15 points and 11 rebounds, as well as three blocks. Freshman guard Lucy Mason is the team’s leading scorer with 15.3 points per game, while Stevenson averages a team-high 6.6 rebounds per game. The Spartans are coached by second-year head coach Wendy Palmer.

The Series
UNCG and Elon have been playing one another since the beginning of Elon’s women’s basketball program in 1972 as Monday marks the 41st meeting between the two teams. The Spartans lead the long-time series, 23-17, but the Phoenix has won the past two games by an average of 16 points. Last season in Alumni Gym, Elon came away with a 57-43 victory after a double-double of 12 points and 12 boards from Kelsey Evans. Kelsey Harris came close to a double-double as well with 11 points and nine rebounds.

Student-Athlete of the Week
Kelsey Evans was named the SoCon Student-Athlete of the Week on Jan. 9 after her performance in Elon’s wins over Samford and Chattanooga. Evans averaged 15.5 points and 15 rebounds in the two contests and shot 46 percent from the field. In the victory against Chattanooga, the senior scored 19 points and posted a new career high of 21 boards, as well as tying her career high of five blocks. The Raleigh, N.C., native currently holds a 3.54 GPA in her major of exercise science.

Looking Ahead
Elon hosts Furman for another home game in Alumni Gym on Friday, Jan. 18. Tip is set for 7 p.m.