WILLIAMSBURG, VA. – Elon University men’s basketball fell to William & Mary, 86-79, in its regular season finale on Saturday, Feb. 29.
“The guys kept fighting. That’s what they do,” head coach Mike Schrage stated. “I thought we gave up some easy buckets early in both halves, which we cannot allow — but I’m proud of our guys effort and fight tonight. We’ll use this for fuel to get better and get ready for the tournament in D.C. next week.”
THE RUNDOWN
Trailing by eight with 11 minutes remaining in the second half, back-to-back scores by Simon Wright and Marcus Sheffield cut William & Mary’s lead to four. From there the Tribe went on a quick 6-0 run that pushed its lead back to 10, but Elon continued to battle back. With just under seven minutes left to play in the contest, Hunter McIntosh drilled two triples in 30 seconds to bring the score to 63-59 with 6:30 remaining in the game.
A late 8-0 run by William & Mary pushed the score to 74-61 with 2:14 to play in the contest. The Phoenix gained some ground over the next two minutes, cutting the deficit down to six with 20 seconds remaining following McIntosh’s fifth three of the evening. Despite Elon’s efforts to mount a late comeback, William & Mary held on for an 86-79 win.
After falling behind 24-10 at the midway point of the first half, McIntosh and Wright took over for the next four minutes, carrying the Phoenix back into the game. McIntosh got things going with a step-back jumper to spark the 13-1 Elon run with 10 minutes remaining in the opening half. Moments later, Wright drilled a smooth hook shot to bring the Phoenix back within 10. Back-to-back threes by McIntosh and Wright respectively brought the score to 24-20 with 7:27 remaining before the break. Federico Poser capped the burst by converting an and-one opportunity to cut Elon’s early deficit down to two.
HIGHLIGHTS
Sheffield led the way for the Phoenix, dropping 27 points, four rebounds and three assists on the evening. McIntosh added 22 points, seven rebounds and four assists of his own, while knocking down six threes in the contest.
William & Mary had five players score at least 10 points, with Nathan Knight’s 20 points and five rebounds leading the way. Andy Van Vliet also added 17 points and 12 rebounds for the Tribe.
NOTES
– Elon is locked in as the seventh seed in the upcoming 2020 CAA Tournament, and will take on James Madison on Saturday night. The Phoenix defeated JMU in both of the teams two matchups this season.
– Sheffield’s 27 points tonight marked his 20th consecutive double-digit scoring outing, and his 28th overall this season. Additionally, Sheffield moved into the Top 10 in single season scoring in program history with 578 total points on the year.
– After scoring 22 points tonight, McIntosh picked up his 17th double-figure scoring outing this season. His six made threes in the contest matched a career-high and moved him into the Top 10 for most made threes (71) in a single season in program history.
– The Phoenix knocked down 14 threes in tonight’s contest, marking its 21st game this season with at least 10 made triples
– Elon held a 14-10 advantage in points off turnovers and an 11-8 advantage in fast break points.
– William & Mary held a 39-7 advantage in free throws attempted, and a 31-5 advantage in free throws made. The Tribe’s 31 made free throws marks the most by an opposing team this season.
UP NEXT
Elon returns to action on Saturday, March 7, to tip off the 2019-20 CAA Men’s Basketball Tournament against James Madison. That matchup is slated for 6:30 p.m. at the Entertainment and Sports Arena in Washington, D.C., and will be streamed live on FloSports.