Davidson College used a 25-6 run in the second half to defeat the Elon Phoenix 83-67 in the semifinals of the 2012 Men's Basketball Southern Conference Tournament in Asheville, N.C.
The Wildcats held Elon without a field goal for 11:02 while pulling away. Davidson junior forward Jake Cohen had 24 points and 5 rebounds, while junior forward De'Mon Brooks added 20 points and 6 rebounds. Sophomore guard Chris Czerapowicz contributed ten points.
With the victory, Davidson advances to face Western Carolina University in the tournament finals Monday night.
Elon sophomore guard Jack Isenbarger scored a team-high 22 points. Sophomore forward Lucas Troutman added 18 points and 4 rebounds.
Davidson went into halftime with a 39-33 lead, but the Phoenix stormed out of the gate, making the score 39-38 then 41-40. The Wildcats then went on their run, with Brooks sitting out most of it with three fouls.
The Phoenix's 2012 season comes to a close at 15-16, a high in victories under third-year head coach Matt Matheny, a former Davidson assistant. It was the final career game for senior guard Drew Spradlin, who did not score and played just 16 minutes.
[box]Elon Men's Basketball 2011-12 Season
- Men's Basketball went 15-16 overall
- Highest win total for Head Coach Matt Matheny in his three-year career
- Sophomore Jack Isenbarger scored in double-digits in 13 of his last 14 games
- Drew Spradlin is the only senior leaving the Phoenix