ELON, N.C. – For the second straight season, the Elon women’s basketball (18-12) team begins play in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) as the Phoenix travels to Blacksburg, Va., to take on Virginia Tech (17-13) in the first round on Thursday, March 17. Tip is set for 7 p.m. in Cassell Coliseum.
Last Time Out
The No. 4 seed Elon women’s basketball team led for nearly 35 minutes of it’s CAA Championship quarterfinal game but was not able to hold on in the end as No. 5 seed Delaware knocked off the Phoenix, 57-50, on March 10 in Upper Marlboro, Md. The Phoenix finished 18-of-59 from the field to shoot 31 percent in the game, including 4-of-21 from three (19 percent), and went 10-of-19 from the line for a 53-percent mark. Elon won the slight advantage on the boards, 37-36, and saw 27 points from its bench. Shay Burnett led the maroon and gold with 13 points and another team-high eight rebounds, while also handing out three assists. Lenaira Ruffin came off the bench for a season-high 11 points after a 4-of-9 performance from the field and six boards. Lauren Brown followed with nine points, while Jenifer Rhodes tallied seven points and seven boards.
Scouting the Hokies
Virginia Tech owns a 17-13 record on the season, including a 13-5 mark at home in Cassell Coliseum. This marks the Hokies fourth appearance in the WNIT and 13th overall postseason appearance since its first trip in 1994. VT has made it as far as the WNIT semifinals, which was during the 2002 season. The Hokies played its last game in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament on March 2, falling to Boston College, 49-37, in the opening round. Virginia Tech saw wins over eighth-ranked Tennessee earlier this season, as well as fellow WNIT participants Virginia and Wake Forest. VT has one of the best defenses in the ACC, holding opponents to 52.9 points per game, a 34.6 field goal percentage and a 26.6 mark from beyond the arc. The team leads the ACC in all three categories and ranks in the top 15 nationally in all three as well. Hannah Young and Sidney Cook both lead the Hokies in scoring this season, averaging 10.3 points per game. Cook is also one of the team leaders on the boards, along with Regan Magarity, each with 5.5 rebounds per game. Vanessa Panousis comes close to double figures with 9.0 points/game followed by Chanette Hicks with 8.7/game. Hicks has recorded 84 steals this season to average 2.8/game, which ranks second in the ACC and 17th and 16th in the NCAA, respectively.
The Series
The first round WNIT matchup marks the third all-time meeting between Elon and Virginia Tech and the first post-season game that has been played against one another. The teams played in back-to-back years in 2009 and 2010 with both games taking place in Blacksburg, Va. The first meeting was on Nov. 28, 2009, with the Hokies claiming an 82-46 victory before narrowly escaping the Phoenix on Nov. 18, 2010, in a 73-66 final.
Elon in the WNIT
This marks Elon’s second straight and overall appearance in the WNIT after competing in the tournament for the first time last season. The Phoenix earned its first ever bid to the WNIT in 2015, taking on Georgia Tech in Atlanta in the first round. The Yellow Jackets won the game on March 19, 2015, in a 69-47 final.
Elon in Post-Season Competition
The 2016 WNIT marks Elon women’s basketball’s fourth post-season appearance at the Division I level. The Phoenix made its first ever DI post-season appearance in the 2011 Women’s Basketball Invitational (WBI) and advanced to the quarterfinals after a 103-72 win over USC-Upstate in the first round. Elon appeared in the WBI again in 2013 with another trip to the quarterfinals after a 68-61 win against Eastern Kentucky. Last season, the maroon and gold earned a bid to its first WNIT appearance, falling at Georgia Tech, 69-47. The Phoenix is 2-3 all-time in the postseason at the DI level.
CAA in the 2016 Postseason
Elon is one of four Colonial Athletic Association teams that are playing this postseason. James Madison, who won the conference tournament, is participating in the NCAA Tournament. Drexel and Hofstra join the Phoenix as one of three CAA schools in the 2016 WNIT.
March Madness
Elon holds a 27-27 all-time record in games played in March. As a player and assistant coach at UNC spanning 13 seasons, Elon head coach Charlotte Smith experienced a combined record of 60-20 (.750) in the month of March.
Championship Coach
Elon head coach Charlotte Smith knows a little something about winning championships. While playing collegiately at North Carolina, Smith hit a buzzer-beating three pointer to earn the Tar Heels the 1994 NCAA national championship. She also led UNC to back-to-back conference crowns her junior and senior seasons.
All-Conference Honors
The conference announced its women’s basketball postseason honors on Tuesday, March 8, with three Elon players earning spots on the various all-conference teams. Shay Burnett was named to the All-CAA First Team, while Lauren Brown and Autumn Carter were selected to the CAA All-Academic Team. Burnett is the youngest player on this year’s first team and the first Elon player to earn conference first team honors since Kelsey Harris in 2014.
U-S-A! U-S-A!
USA Basketball announced on Tuesday, March 8, that Elon head coach Charlotte Smith has been named an assistant coach for the 2016 USA Basketball Women’s U18 National Team. Smith joins head coach Suzie McConnal-Serio (University of Pittsburgh) and assistant coach Kamie Ethridge (University of Northern Colorado) on the coaching staff that was selected by the USA Basketball Women’s Junior National Team Committee. The team will compete at the 2016 FIBA Americas U18 Championship from July 13-17 in Valdivia, Chile, where the top four finishing teams will earn a berth into the 2017 FIBA U19 World Championship. Smith won a gold medal at the 1996 R. William Jones Cup and silver medals at the 1995 World University Games and 1992 FIBA Americas U18 Championship (then known as the Junior World Championship Qualifying Tournament). She also played for the 1997 USA Basketball Women’s International Invitational Team, the 1994 USA Select Team and at the 1993 U.S. Olympic Festival.
Play 4Kay, Everyday
Besides its annual Play 4Kay game, the Elon women’s basketball team has a special connection to the Play 4Kay initiative throughout the entire year. The late Kay Yow, the hall of fame coach and catalyst for Play 4Kay, was the first head coach of the women’s basketball program, as well as the Elon volleyball program, and served in that role for four years.
Double Trouble
Elon has seen 14 double-doubles from four different players this season. Shay Burnett has posted the most with nine, including one near triple-double, followed by Malaya Johnson with three. Both Jenifer Rhodes and Autumn Carter have each tallied one double-double this year.
From the Line
Shay Burnett owns an 80.6percent mark from the charity stripe this season, which ranks second in the league. The sophomore ranks 60th nationally and first in the CAA in free throw attempts (165) and 43rd overall and first in the CAA in free throws made (133). As a team, Elon leads the league in both free throw attempts (591) and free throws made (401).
Block Party
Elon’s 17 total team blocks on Nov. 29 against East Tennessee State marked a new Division I single-game high this season and also set a new CAA single-game record. The Phoenix saw five players set new or match career highs in blocks against the Buccaneers in Malaya Johnson (5), Autumn Carter (4), Essence Baucom (2), Lauren Brown (2) and Maddie McCallie (1). Elon is currently averaging 4.3 blocks per game as a team, which ranks 75th nationally and fourth in the league.
On the Boards
Elon finished second in the conference and is 29th nationally in rebounds per game (42.3/game). The Phoenix holds a positive 4.2 rebounding margin, which is second in the CAA, while also finishing second in offensive rebounds (15.5/game) and third in the league in defensive rebounds (26.8/game).
Off the Bench
The depth of the Elon bench has been a contributor to the maroon and gold’s success this season. The Phoenix bench is outscoring the opponents, 664-433, and averaging 22.1 points per game.
Season’s Best
The Phoenix shot a season high 54 percent at William & Mary on March 2. Elon finished 27-of-50 from the field, including 8-of-15 from three (53.3 percent), and scored 34 points in the paint.
Elon in Overtime
After its overtime game at Delaware on Feb. 7, Elon is now 17-11 all-time in overtime games and 1-3 when the overtime goes past one period. The Phoenix has played three overtime games this season, two of which have gone to double overtime. The maroon and gold fell in double overtime at Navy on Nov. 24 and to James Madison in single overtime on Jan. 10 before winning its first OT game of the season against the Blue Hens. The team’s double overtime game at Navy on Nov. 24 marked the first time Elon played more than one overtime period since a four overtime game against Western Carolina in 2008.
Elon is Perfect When…
The Phoenix has a perfect record on the season in games played on Saturday (3-0).
Head Coach Charlotte Smith
Elon head coach Charlotte Smith is in her fifth season with the Phoenix and owns an 87-69 career record. Smith has led Elon to two straight WNIT appearances and three overall post-season appearances in the last four seasons.
Home-Court Advantage
Alumni Gym has proven to be a tough place to play for opponents under head coach Charlotte Smith. The maroon and gold is 53-18 in Alumni Gym in five seasons under Coach Smith. The Phoenix went 10-3 at home this season after a 10-5 record during the 2014-15 season. The Phoenix has lost no more than five games at home in a season under Smith.
Next Up
If the Phoenix advances to the second round, the team will play the winner of the Ohio/Marshall matchup. The game would be played at the site of the opponent. The WNIT second round is scheduled for March 19-22.