Elon MBB Set to Face Delaware in Newark

ELON, N.C. – Elon University men’s basketball returns to the hardwood on Saturday night, Feb. 17, with a road contest against the Delaware Blue Hens. The Phoenix and Blue Hens will tip-off at 7 p.m. inside the Bob Carpenter Center.

GAME NOTES

COVERAGE
Watch the game through CAA.TV, which will be broadcasted on the NBC Sports Philadelphia. 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 6:30 p.m.

THE SERIES
• Saturday will be the 9th all-time meeting between the Phoenix and the Blue Hens. Elon leads the all-time series 7-1, and 3-1 as the road team. The Phoenix defeated the Blue Hens earlier this season 89-76 on Feb. 3 inside Alumni Gym.
• Delaware earned its first victory of the series last season on Feb. 9, 2017, in Newark, Del. The Blue Hens came out victorious, 76-74, after overtime. The Phoenix answered with an 81-59 win on Feb. 25, 2017 on Senior Day in Alumni Gym.
• Prior to last season, Elon had won the first five consecutive meetings. Both teams have faced each other five times during Elon’s Division I era since 1999. The only time the teams met prior to Elon’s Division I era was the first all-time meeting.
• Elon’s first-ever matchup against Blue Hens came on Feb. 8, 1934 as Elon College defeated Delaware 45-23 in Newark.

A LOOK AT ELON
• The Phoenix has a 14-13 record overall and owns a 6-8 mark in CAA play after dropping its second straight contest against UNCW 87-63 on Thursday, Feb. 15, at Trask Coliseum. Elon is currently 6th in the CAA Standings.
• Tyler Seibring was named CAA Co-Player of the Week on Feb. 5 and has been solid in his first 14 conference games, averaging 18.6 points and 7.5 rebounds. He is also shooting 50% from the floor and 46.1% from deep.
• Seibring and Thompson each scored their 1,000th career point on Jan. 7 in a win at Hofstra. Swoope became the 42nd player in program history to reach 1,000 points on Feb. 3 against Delaware.
• Elon is scoring 74.4 ppg and allowing 75.1 ppg thus far through 27 games.
• Offensively, Elon ranks 2nd in the CAA averaging 10.7 made three-pointers. Elon also is 2nd in the league averaging with 16.1 assists per contest.
• The Phoenix is improving defensively, allowing teams to shoot 42.9% from the floor which ranks 3rd overall in the CAA. Elon’s 44.1% field goal percentage defense in CAA games ranks 2nd in the league. Elon is also 2nd in the league in defensive rebounds, averaging 26.0 per game.
• Tyler Seibring is currently Elon’s leading scorer at 15.4 ppg. Seibring is also 11th in the league averaging a team-best 6.7 rpg and is 4th in the CAA with a 43.9% 3-point field goal percentage. Dainan Swoope is 4th in the CAA with 3.9 apg.
• Eberhardt has the 4th-best assist/turnover ratio in the CAA with a 2.2 ratio with 78 assists to 35 turnovers.
• Elon completed its non-conference schedule with eight or more wins for the 4th straight year.
• Dawkins, Thompson, Jack Anton, Jack George and Collin Luther make up this year’s senior class.
• Elon also made three additions in freshman guard Nathan Priddy and forwards Simon Wright and Duje Radja.

CAA PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Tyler Seibring was named CAA Co-Player of the Week on Feb. 5 after averaging 26.0 points and 8.0 rebounds in Elon’s 1-1 week. The Normal, Ill. native shot 67.9% (19-28) from the floor, 88.9% (8-9) from 3-point range and was a perfect 6-of-6 at the free throw line. Seibring shared the weekly honor with Joe Chealey of College of Charleston.

IT’S ALL ABOUT BALANCE
• All five of Elon’s starters are averaging doubles figures through 26 games this season. Seibring leads the way with 15.3 ppg, while Swoope is second averaging 13.4 ppg.
• Rounding out the top five scorers are Brian Dawkins (12.0), Dmitri Thompson (11.8 ppg) and Steven Santa Ana (10.2 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 21 games this season. The only 5 times this season that the Phoenix has 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) and vs. Hofstra (2/8).

JOINING THE 1,000-POINT CLUB
• Dmitri Thompson and Tyler Seibring each joined the 1,000-point club on Sunday, Jan. 7, at Hofstra. Dainan Swoope is the 3rd player this season to join the club after doing so on Feb. 3 against Delaware.
• 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 became the 42nd player overall, the 12th junior, and third player this season to join the club.
• Brian Dawkins is the next closest with 908 career points and needs 92 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 18.6 points, which ranks 6th in the CAA, and 7.5 rebounds in league games.
• Seibring is 3rd in the CAA with 41-made three-pointers and is 3rd the league in three-point field goal percentage (46.1%) in CAA contests.
• The Phoenix continues to improve defensively in league play, holding teams to 44.1% shooting from the field in CAA games, which ranks 2nd in the league.

SWOOPE THERE IT IS
• Dainan Swoope has shown improvement on the scoring end his junior campaign, averaging 13.4 ppg this season in comparison to his 11.7 ppg last season. Swoope has scored in double figures 19 times thus far and has a team-high 8 games of 20+ points.
• Swoope is also 4th in the CAA in assists averaging 3.9 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. The last time he scored in double figures was when he chipped in 13 points on Jan. 25 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 5.8 points and is 2nd on the team with 3.2 assists per contest. He also has one of the highest shooting percentages on the team at 49.6%.

LET IT FLY
• The Phoenix is 2nd in the CAA and 11th in the NCAA with 10.7 three-pointers made per game.
• Elon’s 279 total three-pointers this season ranks 1st in the CAA and 11th in the NCAA.
• The maroon and gold also ranks first in the league with 773 three-point attempts, which ranks 8th nationally.

384 AND COUNTING
• The Elon program has made at least one three-point field goal in 384 consecutive games (not including exhibition games). The matchup on Feb. 4, 2017 at College of Charleston marked the 350th consective 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 8-3 record overall record at home and has three sellouts this year in its final season inside Alumni Gym.
• Since the 2011-12 season, Elon has a 67-30 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 15-8 all-time in front of sellout crowds in Alumni Gym.

SCOUTING DELAWARE
• The Blue Hens lost its ninth straight contest on Thursday night with a heartbreaking 67-65 loss to Towson inside SECU Arena. Delaware is 11-17 overall and 4-11 in CAA play thus far. They were led on Thursday night by the return of leading scorer Ryan Daly, who finished with 18 points and seven rebounds for the Blue Hens. Daly is back after missing the last few games with a spained ankle.
• Ryan Allen, who scored 26 points in Delaware’s visit to Alumni Gym earlier this season, has now reached double figures in 12 straight games and hit a three-pointer in 25 consecutive contests. Allen’s last second three-point attempt was blocked by Eddie Keith II as Towson held off Delaware on Thursday.
• Allen earned his fourth CAA Rookie of the Week honor of the year and his second in as many weeks on Monday. He led Delaware in scoring during both games last week, averaging 22.0 points.
• Prior to Thursday night, Eric Carter reached double figures in five consecutive games for the first time in his career. He has recorded three double-doubles in that stretch.

UP NEXT
The Phoenix concludes its final road trip of the season on Thursday, Feb. 22, with a matchup against league-leading College of Charleston at 7 p.m. at TD Arena.