ELON, N.C. – Elon University men’s basketball completes its fifth week of conference play on Saturday afternoon, Jan. 27, with a trip to Towson to take on the Tigers for the second time this season at 2 p.m.
COVERAGE
Watch the action on College Sports Live as the matchup is Saturday’s CAA “Game of the Week”. Jeff McCarragher and Mack McCarthy will have the call on the video broadcast. You can listen to the Elon IMG Sports Network broadcast of the game on WSJS 104.5 FM and 1200 AM as Taylor Durham and Brian Morris will call the action with the pregame show starting at 1:30 p.m.
THE SERIES
• Saturday will be the 9th all-time meeting between Elon and Towson. Five of the previous eight meetings in the series have been decided by five points or less after the Phoenix came out on top earlier this season 75-72 on Jan. 2 inside Alumni Gym.
• The Phoenix and Tigers split the 2016-17 regular season series as the home team won each contest. Towson won the most recent matchup 85-66 on Feb. 16, 2017 at SECU Arena, while the Phoenix won the last matchup in Alumni Gym, 72-61, on Jan. 7, 2017.
• Elon’s first win against the Tigers was during the maroon and gold’s inaugural season and first appearance in the CAA
Tournament. The Phoenix defeated Towson 74-69 in the first round of the 2015 tournament in Baltimore.
• Elon is still seeking its first win inside SECU Arena as the Tigers lead the series 3-0 as the home team.
A LOOK AT ELON
• The Phoenix has a 12-10 record overall and owns a 4-5 mark in CAA action after dropping its third straight contest against the Drexel Dragons 83-79 on Thursday night.
• Tyler Seibring has been solid in his first nine conference games, averaging 17.4 points and 7.2 rebounds. He is also shooting 56.1% from the floor and 48.1% from deep.
• Seibring and Thompson each scored their 1,000th career point on Jan. 7 in a win at Hofstra.
• Elon is scoring 74.3 ppg and allowing 73.8 ppg thus far through 22 games. The team has only been held to under 70 points 6 times and under 60 points just twice this season.
• Offensively, Elon ranks 2nd in the CAA averaging 10.8 made three-pointers. Elon also is 2nd in the league averaging with 15.8 assists per contest.
• The Phoenix is improving defensively, allowing teams to shoot 42.3% from the floor which ranks 3rd overall in the CAA. Elon’s 42.7% field goal percentage defense in CAA games ranks 1st in the league. Elon is also 1st in the league in defensive rebounds, averaging 28.9 per game.
• Tyler Seibring is currently Elon’s leading scorer at 14.2 ppg, Seibring is also 11th in the league averaging a team-best 6.4 rpg, while Dainan Swoope is 4th in the CAA with 3.8 apg.
• Eberhardt is tied for the 2nd-best assist/turnover ratio in the CAA with a 2.2 ratio with 68 assists to 31 turnovers.
• Elon completed its non-conference schedule with eight or more wins for the 4th straight year.
• The Phoenix returned all five starters and its top five scorers from a team that finished 18-14 overall and placed tied for fourth in the CAA with a 10-8 mark in 2016-17.
• Four of the five starters averaged double-figure scoring last season, led by 2016-17 All-CAA Second Team forward Tyler Seibring, who averaged a team-high 14.4 ppg.
• Dawkins, Thompson, Jack Anton, Jack George and Collin Luther make up this year’s senior class.
• Elon also made three additions this past offseason, bringing in freshman guard Nathan Priddy and forwards Simon Wright and Duje Radja into the fold.
IT’S ALL ABOUT BALANCE
• All five of Elon’s starters are averaging doubles figures through 22 games this season. Seibring leads the way with 14.2 ppg, while Swoope is second averaging 13.1 ppg.
• Rounding out the top scorers are Brian Dawkins (12.0 ppg), Dmitri Thompson (11.4 ppg), and Steven Santa Ana (10.5 ppg).
• Elon has had 7 different players finish in double figures this season and 6 have led their team in scoring during games.
• The Phoenix has had at least three players finish in double-figures in 18 games this season. The only 4 times this season Elon had less in a game was two against Radford (11/22), at UNCG (12/7) and at Northeastern (1/5) and one at Canisius (12/17).
JOINING THE 1,000-POINT CLUB
• Dmitri Thompson and Tyler Seibring each joined the 1,000-point club on Sunday, Jan. 7, at Hofstra.
• Seibring was the first to join, becoming the 40th player overall and the 11th junior to reach the mark.
• Thompson followed becoming the 41st player in 109 seasons of Elon basketball to reach 1,000 career points.
• Dainan Swoope is the next in line to reach the mark. He has 953 career points, just 47 away. Brian Dawkins follows with 864 career points and needs 136 to join the club.
COMING UP BIG IN LEAGUE PLAY
• After averaging 11.9 points and 5.8 rebounds during non-conference play, Tyler Seibring has increased his averages to 17.3 points and 7.6 rebounds in league games.
• Seibring also leads the CAA with 26-made threes and is 4th in field goal percentage (56.1%) and three-point field goal percentage (48.1%).
• The Phoenix continues to improve defensively in league play, holding teams to 43.1% shooting from the field in CAA games, which ranks 1st in the league.
SWOOPE THERE IT IS
• Dainan Swoope has shown improvement on the scoring end his junior campaign, averaging 13.1 ppg this season in comparison to his 11.7 ppg last season. Swoope has scored in double figures 15 times thus far and has a team-high 6 games of 20+ points.
• Swoope is also 4th in the CAA in assists averaging 3.8 dimes per game this season.
• The junior finished the non-conference portion of the schedule averaging 14.7 ppg and shot 85.1% from the free throw line.
• Before suffering an ankle injury in the second half at UNCG, Swoope was averaging 17.1 ppg in the first nine contests.
• He had 20+ points in four straight games from Nov. 17-22 and averaged 23.8 ppg during that span.
PROVIDING A SPARK
• Sheldon Eberhardt has made an impact off the bench, scoring in double-figures four times this season for the Phoenix. Most recently, he chipped in 13 points on Thursday at Drexel.
• He posted a career-high 10 assists in Elon’s victory over Saint Peter’s, which was the first time an Elon player had 10 or more assists in a game since Chris Long had 10 on Feb. 19, 2011 against UNCG.
• Eberhardt is currently averaging 6.1 points and 3.2 assists per contest. He also has one of the highest shooting percentages on the team at 50%.
LET IT FLY
• The Phoenix is 2nd in the CAA and 15th in the NCAA with 10.8 three-pointers made per game.
• Elon’s 226 total three-pointers this season ranks 1st in the CAA and 7th in the NCAA.
• The maroon and gold also ranks first in the league with 643 three-point attempts, which ranks 6th nationally.
379 AND COUNTING
• The Elon program has made at least one three-point field goal in 379 consecutive games (not including exhibition games). The matchup on Feb. 4, 2017 at College of Charleston marked the 350th consecutive game.
• The last time Elon did not make a three in a game was Jan. 30, 2006, at Georgia Southern when the team went 0-of-14 from deep.
FINAL SEASON OF ALUMNI GYM
• The 2017-18 season marks the 67th and final year of competition inside historic Alumni Gym as the program is set to relocate to the Schar Center for the 2018-19 campaign. The arena opened its doors in 1950.
HOME COURT ADVANTAGE
• Elon has a 7-2 record overall record at home and has sold out three times this year in its final season inside Alumni Gym.
• Since the 2011-12 season, Elon has a 66-30 record (31-8 vs. non-conference teams) inside Alumni Gym. Elon has sold out Alumni Gym 21 times under head coach Matt Matheny, with its most recent sellout coming on Jan. 11, 2018. Matheny is 14-8 all-time in front of sellout crowds in Alumni Gym.
SCOUTING TOWSON
• The Tigers have won three of its last four games, owning a 15-7 overall record and a 5-4 mark in conference play. Towson is coming off a 96-82 overtime victory over William & Mary.
• Towson is receiving votes in this week’s College Insider Mid-Major poll.
• Zane Martin’s 35 points were the most by a Towson men’s basketball player in the short history of SECU Arena. It was also the 10th best scoring effort in program history.
• Towson is 54-18 all-time at SECU Arena. Over the last three years, the Tigers are 31-8. Towson is 8-1 at SECU this season.
• The Tigers have scored 90 points in three of their last four games.
UP NEXT
The Phoenix heads to William & Mary to face the Tribe on Thursday, Feb. 1, at 7 p.m. inside Kaplan Arena.