Elon Women’s Basketball Hosts Western Carolina in Sunday Matchup

ELON, N.C. – The Elon women’s basketball team (7-10, 3-3 SoCon) is looking for its third straight win when it hosts Western Carolina (9-8, 3-3 SoCon) on Sunday, Jan. 19, in a 2 p.m. tip in Alumni Gym. Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for all youth 12 and under.

Elon vs. Western Carolina
Date: Sunday, Jan. 19
Time: 2 p.m.
Site: Elon, N.C. (Alumni Gym)
Series: Elon leads, 20-17
Last Meeting: Feb. 4, 2013 – Elon won, 60-51
Radio: WSOE 89.3 FM – Alex Simon and Jason Vonick with the call
Twitter Updates: @ElonScores

Last Time Out
In its first home game of 2014, Elon put together a 66-54 win against Appalachian State. After leading by as much as 22 points, the Mountaineers cut the maroon and gold advantage to nine with five minutes left, but Lenaira Ruffin nailed two threes from the wing to keep Elon up by 12. The Phoenix saw a career-high 19 points from Jessica Farmer, while Sam Coffer fell just short of a double-double with nine points and 12 rebounds along with a career-high seven assists.

Scouting the Catamounts
Western Carolina is coming off a 60-49 win at UNCG on Friday with the help of 21 points from Rena Wakama. The Catamounts are now 9-8 on the year and 3-3 in conference play. WCU is putting up 60 points per game and is holding opponents to only 61.2 points, giving the team the second-best scoring defense in the league. Western has two players averaging in double figures in Wakama (10.6) and Lindsay Simpson (10.0).

The Series
Elon leads the all-time series by three games, 20-17, having won the last five meetings. The Phoenix picked up wins in Cullowhee and at home last year, earning a 60-51 victory in Alumni Gym. The Catamounts won seven straight from 2007-2009, including a four-overtime thriller in 2008 that ended in favor of WCU, 101-102.

Farmer’s Big Night
Jessica Farmer was nearly unstoppable for the Phoenix as she scored a career-high seven field goals off nine attempts and hit a career-high 5-of-6 from the free-throw line against Appalachian State. In the end, the sophomore had a career-high 19 points to go along with four rebounds, three assists, three blocks and three steals.

From the Bench
Elon’s bench has been a big contributor to scoring this season as the Phoenix bench outscores opponents, 304-280. Maroon and gold players from the bench are averaging 17.8 points per game for the Phoenix, while opponents benches average 16.4 ppg.

Looking Ahead
Elon will go back on the road next week to face Furman in its next game on Saturday, Jan. 25. Tip is scheduled for 4 p.m. in Greenville, S.C.