ELON, N.C. – The Elon women’s basketball team (16-12, 13-6 SoCon) made it a perfect 9-0 in Alumni Gym in 2013 after claiming a 72-56 win over Davidson (18-11, 15-4 SoCon) today, March 2. With the victory, the Phoenix has now defeated every Southern Conference team this season. Ali Ford scored a game-high 23 points and handed off three assists in her final home game in the maroon and gold.
“I feel like we did an excellent job of executing the game plan to perfection,” said Elon head coach Charlotte Smith. “I have to give kudos to Ali for her play in the first half and carrying us until we were able to get momentum from everybody else. But it was a great team effort and I’m excited we were able to get the win.”
Zora Stephenson provided a huge spark off the bench for the Phoenix, finishing 4-of-5 from long distance for 12 points. Kelsey Evans also finished in double figures with 12 points and three blocks.
Elon went 29-of-65 to shoot 44 percent from the field, including 42 percent from beyond the arc, and posted an 88 percent mark from the charity stripe. Elon scored 36 of its points in the paint and converted 19 Davidson turnovers into 18 points. All nine Phoenix players who saw action in the game scored.
The Wildcats finished with a 33 percent shooting clip (20-of-59) and only shot 12 percent from three-point range. Davidson did claim the advantage on the glass, 44-39.
Trailing Davidson 10-4 in the first half, a layup by Farmer at the 13:14 mark topped a 7-0 run to give the Phoenix its first lead of the game, 11-10. The first frame was back-and-forth for the next several minutes until Ford scored seven points in the span of 70 seconds, including back-to-back threes, and Shon Redmond hit a fast-break jumper to help Elon to a five-point edge, 34-29, with just over a minute to play. The Wildcats’ Sarah Davis hit a free throw in the final minute to make it a 34-30 game at the break.
Ford scored 21 points in the first 20 to help the maroon and gold shot 40 percent from the field. Davidson finished the first half 32 percent from the field, including nine percent from beyond the arc.
Both teams got out to a slow start to begin the second frame as neither squad scored a basket in the first four minutes of play. With Elon leading by three, 36-33, threes by Stephenson ignited and capped a 12-3 run for the Phoenix to take a 12-point advantage, 48-36 with 11:14 remaining in the game.
Another long ball by Stephenson gave the maroon and gold its largest lead of the game, 62-42, with under eight minutes to play. Davidson would cut its deficit to 16 several times but could not get any closer than that as the Phoenix claimed victory in its final home game of the season.
Elon will close out the regular season on Monday, March 4, when it travels to Statesboro, Ga., to take on Georgia Southern. Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m. against the Eagles.