TOWSON, Md. – The Elon University men’s basketball team was held to 31 percent shooting from the floor, falling to the Towson Tigers, 67-56, in Saturday’s Autism Awareness game inside SECU Arena.
Elon (15-14, 6-10 CAA) couldn’t recover from an early deficit and struggled to make baskets, going 18-of-58 from the field. Dmitri Thompson recorded team-highs with 13 points and eight rebounds. Steven Santa Ana added 10 points off the bench for the Phoenix and Luke Eddy dished out three assists.
Towson (19-10, 10-6 CAA) had three players finish in double figures. John Davis scored 14, Byron Hawkins added 12 and Timajh Parker-Rivera chipped in 11 for the Tigers. William Adala Moto grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds for Towson.
HIGHLIGHTS
The Tigers started the game with an 8-2 run, but the freshmen trio of Tyler Seibring, Santa Ana and Dainan Swoope scored 13 points to lead the Phoenix on a 13-2 run. Elon took a 15-10 lead with 11:56 remaining in the first half.
After Towson came back to tie it up 17-17 and 19-19, Swoope’s three-pointer gave the Phoenix a 22-19 lead with 6:56 left in the half. Then the Tigers scored 10 unanswered over the next 2:18 and closed the half on a 14-4 run to take a 33-26 lead at halftime.
In the second half, Towson opened with a 9-4 run to extend its lead to 42-32 with 15:59 left in the contest. The Phoenix cut the deficit to five, 44-39 at the the 13:03 mark, after Jack Anton’s three-point play.
In a game full of runs, Towson pulled out to its largest lead of the game, 57-43, using a 13-4 run capped off by a Parker-Rivera three-point play at the 5:22 mark. Elon made one final surge, cutting Towson’s lead to single digits, 62-54, after a Thompson dunk with 1:57 remaining. However, the Tigers held on in the final seconds, hitting free throws to secure the 67-56 victory.
NOTES
– Towson held the edge on the boards 49-37 in the game, including a 16-14 advantage on the offensive glass.
– The Phoenix falls to 4-13 overall this season when trailing at the half. Elon is 11-1 this season when it has a lead at intermission.
UP NEXT
Elon returns home one last time this season on Thursday, Feb. 25, for Senior Night inside Alumni Gym against William & Mary. The Phoenix will honor Wes Brewer, Sam Hershberger, Tanner Samson and Tony Sabato for their contributions to the program. The game will tip off at 7 p.m.