BOSTON – The Elon women’s basketball team was in a similar situation in its last game with the chance to win in the final seconds but was unable to do so. The Phoenix made up for that tonight, Feb. 19, as a jumper by Sam Coffer(Northern Guilford High School) with two seconds remaining found the basket and gave the team a 74-73 win over Northeastern in the Cabot Center.
With the Huskies leading 73-72 with under a minute to go, strong defense by the Phoenix put the ball back in the team’s hands with 10.4 seconds remaining. Shay Burnett(Southern Alamance High School) got the ball to Coffer who was wide open for a long jumper to give Elon the lead, 74-73, with two ticks left. Northeastern was unable to get the ball up in time, allowing the Phoenix the victory.
“I’m excited that Shay was able to make the play in the clutch,” said Elon head coach Charlotte Smith. “Her presence of mind to find the open player because she was doubled was great and then that was a big shot for Sam.”
The Phoenix (15-10, 8-6) finished 30-of-51 from the field to shoot a season-high 59 percent on the night. The team went 43 percent from beyond the arc after hitting 9-of-21 and finished with a 40-26 advantage in bench points. Elon scored 25 points off Huskie turnovers and claimed 32 points in the paint.
Both Zora Stephenson and Lauren Brown went 5-of-8 on the night to lead the Phoenix with 13 points. Burnett and Essence Baucom followed with 10 points each, while Baucom also tallied seven assists. Coffer led the defense with five rebounds and three blocks.
The Huskies (4-20, 1-13) shot 52 percent on the night after a 25-of-48 performance from the field and 56 percent (5-of-9) from three. NU converted 18 of its 26 chances at the free throw line (69 percent), finished with the edge on the glass, 29-21, and has 20 second-chance points.
With the score even at four-all, the Phoenix used a 10-2 run with the help of threes by both Brown and Stephenson to move ahead by eight, 14-6, and force a Huskie timeout at the 15:58 mark. Elon would maintain as much as a four-point advantage before Northeastern pulled even, 19-all, and took its first lead of the game, 21-19, with under 10 minutes on the clock.
The Huskies led by as much five points, 35-30, with less than five minutes to play in the half. A three by Brown with 4:10 on the clock closed the gap to two, 35-33. With 26 seconds remaining, Mbouma turned a steal into a fast-break layup to make it a one-point game, 40-39, before Coffer grabbed a defensive rebound and got it down the court to Johnson for a basket with one tick left to give the maroon and gold a 41-40 lead at the break.
Elon shot 72 percent from the field (18-of-25) in the first half, including 44 percent from three. Northeastern held a 50 percent mark (14-of-28) overall and was 40 percent from long distance and 83 percent from the free throw line. The Huskies also held a 14-7 advantage on the boards and a 15-2 edge in second-chance points.
After NU hit a three out of the break, Burnett converted an old-fashioned three-point opportunity to even the game before a Baucom three put the Phoenix ahead by three, 48-45, with 17:36 to play. Two more baskets from long distance by the maroon and gold gave Elon a seven-point edge, 56-49, before the Huskies evened the game for the fifth time, 58-58, with 9:47 on the clock.
The game would continue to see leads by both teams and two more ties before two baskets from long range helped the Huskies to a 71-67 edge with 3:31 left. After Mbouma hit a three to pull the Phoenix within one with 2:26 remaining, Baucom hit a pair of free throws for Burnett, who was temporarily injured on the play, to keep it a one-point game, 73-72, with 1:22 on the clock.
The Phoenix returns home to host William & Mary in Alumni Gym on Sunday, Feb. 22, in a 2 p.m. tip.