ASHEVILLE, N.C. — In his final game wearing an Elon University uniform, it was only fitting that Jack Isenbarger ended up taking the final shot.

But unlike other thrilling finishes over his illustrious four year career, this shot didn’t fall. Instead, his long 3-pointer from the top of the arc clanked off the right side of the rim in the final moments, and Elon lost to Western Carolina University 66-64 in the Quarterfinals of the Southern Conference Tournament.

“We got the shot we wanted,” Isenbarger said. “It was relatively open. It felt good coming off. It just kind of sailed to the right a little bit.”

It took a series of small miracles just for him to have the shot, though. Elon trailed by four with 12.9 seconds left, but cut the lead in half after a Western Carolina travel and a bucket underneath by senior forward Ryley Beaumont. The Catamounts lost the ensuing possession out of bounds, giving the Phoenix a chance with 6.6 seconds on the clock.

Senior forward Lucas Troutman set a screen up top to free up Isenbarger, but the shot didn’t fall.

“I’m proud of the way our guys fought when it looked like it was impossible,” Elon head coach Matt Matheny said. “We got knocked back, but didn’t fall down. And if we did, we got back up quickly. It’s great to get that look at the end, but congratulations to Western Carolina, and it’s unfortunate for us.”

Western Carolina trailed by 11 points with 12:27 to play, but used a string of 3-pointers to claw its way back in the game. The Catamounts cut the lead to three with 8:59 left on a Rhett Harrelson 3, forcing an Elon timeout, and drained three more over the next 2 ½ minutes to eventually take a 60-59 lead with 4:31 remaining.

“(Western Carolina) changed their defense a little bit,” Matheny said. “They got quite a few offensive rebounds, and converted those into kick-out 3s. That changed the momentum of the game.”

Elon failed to score during a stretch of 6:08 all the way until Beaumont’s basket with 9.4 seconds on the clock. Troutman was in foul trouble, paving the way for Western Carolina forwards Tawaski King and Brandon Boggs to take charge underneath.

Without Troutman on the bench, King and Boggs took full advantage of the offensive glass. The Catamounts grabbed 18 offensive boards, Boggs and King combining for 10 of them.

“It was a war,” Matheny said. “They have quite a few guys that are really good at using their length to get a fingertip on the ball. They pursue loose balls really well, and were able to get to them.”

Elon led 34-25 at halftime. Beaumont made up for Troutman’s absence with nine points in the first half alone and finished with 16 points and eight rebounds.

The Phoenix built up a 12-point lead early in the second half thanks to some aggressive drives by junior guard Kevin Blake. He sank back-to-back layups, drawing fouls both times.

Western Carolina will face Davidson College at 6 p.m. March 9 in the SoCon Semifinals.

“Davidson’s a very, very storied program, and we have a lot of respect for them,” Western Carolina coach Larry Hunter said. “We knew if we wanted to win the tournament, we’d probably have to play them. We know we can play with them. We’re confident. We’ll have to play very, very well.”

The loss marks the third straight for Elon after an eight-game winning streak. The Phoenix shot 43.4 percent (23-53) from the field, but just 26.3 percent (5-19) from 3-point range and 59.1 percent (13-22) from the free throw line.

“It stinks to lose,” Isenbarger said, “especially when you have an opportunity to play in the NCAA Tournament. That was the goal. To lose here, it hasn’t completely sunk in yet.”

It’s a sudden ending to a groundbreaking career for Elon’s “Core Four” group of seniors in Isenbarger, Troutman, Beaumont, and Sebastian Koch. They leave with 68 victories, the most in Elon’s Division I history.

“The finality of conference tournament play, it’s like a dagger in the heart,” Matheny said.

 

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