Charlotte Pulls Away Late to Hand Elon Men’s Basketball First Loss

ELON, N.C. – Second half woes on offense proved to be the difference on Sunday night, Nov. 16, in Alumni Gym as the Elon men’s basketball team suffered its first setback of the season following a 73-60 setback to the Charlotte 49ers.

After Elon (1-1) pulled within three points in the second half, the Charlotte (1-0) defense held the Phoenix to just three field goals over a six-minute span to pull away down the stretch and secure the win. The Phoenix went 3-for-13 from the field during those six minutes of action.

“We didn’t get enough flow or rhythm offensively tonight,” said Elon head coach Matt Matheny. “Getting out in transition opened things up for us offensively on Friday night, but tonight was just the opposite. On the flip side, we fought and scraped on the offensive glass tonight and I’m pleased with the toughness we showed there.”

Elon grabbed 17 offensive rebounds tonight, which happened just twice all of last season. Last year at Charlotte, the Phoenix hauled down only two on the offensive glass.

Ryan Winters recorded his first career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, marking Elon’s first double-double since Feb. 8 of last season versus Georgia Southern when Ryley Beaumont went for 14 points and 13 boards.

Elijah Bryant scored a game-high 14 points on 5-of-14 shooting. Tanner Samson pitched in 11 points, while Jack Anton posted a 10-point performance.

The 49ers committed 21 turnovers on the night opposed to Elon’s 14.

The Niners forced an Elon timeout with 8:15 remaining in the first half when Braxton Ogbueze slashed to the rim for the bucket, giving Charlotte an 18-6 lead.

The Phoenix managed to cut the deficit to six points with 5:31 to play, but Charlotte took an 11-point lead, 36-15, into the locker room at the break.

Elon struggled to find a rhythm and had several shots roll out in the first 20 minutes, shooting only 27 percent from the field. The Phoenix went 2-of-10 from deep, while the Niners managed to hit 5-of-8 from behind the arc.

Elijah Bryant helped pull Elon back within six with 17:31 to play after knocking down a pair of free throws to make it a 36-30 game.

Anton scored back-to-back baskets to pull within three with 13:25 to play, as a key inbound steal by Luke Eddy led to an Anton baseline jumper that made it a 40-37 game.

But the Niners answered, going on a 14-4 run over the next nine minutes to take a 13-point lead, 54-41, with 8:30 to play.

The Phoenix never managed to pull within singles digits for the duration, taking its first setback of the season.

Elon begins play in the Cancun Challenge on Saturday, Nov. 22, when it heads to Evanston, Ill., to face Northwestern. Following its game at NU, the maroon and gold heads to Cancun, Mexico, for two games on Nov. 24 and 25.