Sports


SPORTS 2/13/17 10:32am

Women's basketball falters in 4th in loss at JMU

HARRISONBURG, Va. — Just when it seemed like the Elon University women’s basketball team would finally avenge its demons and defeat conference kingpin James Madison University for the first time in school history, it all fell apart, as Elon crumbled down the stretch and lost to the Dukes 61-54 Sunday afternoon in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Elon took a 44-41 lead into the fourth quarter and made the first basket of the frame to push its lead up to five, but James Madison’s stagnant offense finally clicked again, rolling through the Phoenix on a 16-2 run to jump from down by five to up by nine. Elon’s offense turned anemic as the Dukes heated up, turning the ball over six times in the fourth while only making three shots.


SPORTS 2/11/17 11:49pm

Elon clamps down in end to pull off upset of UNCW

On the final play, with the Elon University men’s basketball team leading the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) leader University of North Carolina at Wilmington by one with 4.3 seconds left, Elon redshirt junior forward Brian Dawkins switched off a screen to guard Preseason CAA Player of the Year redshirt senior guard Chris Flemmings. But as Flemmings drove, Dawkins stayed with him, and junior guard Dmitri Thompson poked the ball loose of Flemmings to bleed the clock out and secure Elon’s 77-76 win Saturday afternoon in Alumni Gym. “You know what’s cool about it is you trust your players,” said head coach Matt Matheny.


SPORTS 2/7/17 12:00pm

Softball swinging into a new season

When Elon University head softball coach Kathy Bocock looks around the field, she finds a lot of familiar faces. And, as the Phoenix enters its third season in the Colonial Athletic Association, Bocock feels confident in the team’s familiarity with each other and the expectations needed.


SPORTS 2/7/17 10:42am

Little resigns as men's soccer coach

Elon University head men's soccer coach Chris Little resigned from his position Tuesday morning to become the Director of Coaching for the academy of the MLS' Seattle Sounders FC. In his three seasons as head coach, Little led the Phoenix to a 30-18-9 record, earning one NCAA Tournament appearance and getting the school's first win in an NCAA Tournament match in 2015. Elon won a share of the Colonial Athletic Association regular season championship in 2015, a season in which the Phoenix reached its highest-ever national ranking, at eighth. He becomes the second consecutive men's soccer head coach to leave the program for an MLS academy director job after Darren Powell left after 2013 to lead Orlando City SC's Academy.


SPORTS 2/5/17 11:55am

Women's lacrosse cruises over Campbell in season opener

The Elon University women’s lacrosse team opened its season with an emphatic victory, cruising to a 15-5 win over Campbell University Saturday afternoon at Rudd Field. The Phoenix jumped out to an early 5-0 lead within the first five minutes and never looked back, going on to score nine goals in the first half and six in the second.


SPORTS 2/3/17 10:22pm

Hot 2nd half leads Elon to rout of Towson

The Elon University women’s basketball team used a second half onslaught from deep to roll to an 83-55 win over Towson University Friday night in Alumni Gym. And, with the win, the Phoenix started the second half of Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) play with its 13th win in the last 14 games, a streak that has “I’m so excited that we came out focused and ready to handle business today,” said head coach Charlotte Smith.


SPORTS 2/2/17 10:56pm

Swoope's late 3 gives Elon 5th-straight win

With a wide-open look a result lightning-quick press break just a few seconds after James Madison University had tied the game, sophomore guard Dainan Swoope buried a 3-pointer that clinched the Elon University men’s basketball team fifth-straight win, a 67-61 defeat over the Dukes Thursday night in Alumni Gym. After James Madison hit two free throws to tie the game at 59 with 2:08 left, Swoope drilled the 3-pointer seven seconds later, the exclamation point to his team-high 17 points on the night, including 14 in the second half.


SPORTS 2/2/17 9:46am

Football signs 14 in Cignetti's 1st class

The Elon University football team announced its 2017 signing class Wednesday, as head coach Curt Cignetti’s first touch on the program brings in 14 players. Most noticeably, both quarterbacks — Butler’s Davis Cheek and Southern Durham’s Jalen Greene — have already enrolled at Elon and started classes Monday.


SPORTS 2/1/17 6:09pm

CAA pulls women's golf title from NC because of HB2

The Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) has made its first major move in response to North Carolina’s House Bill 2, moving its neutral-site 2017 women’s golf championship out of the state. And, while Elon University released its 2017 football schedule with a game against the State University of New York at Albany Sept. 30, Commissioner Joe D’Antonio said in a phone call that the issue is not fully resolved.


SPORTS 2/1/17 8:35am

Football releases 2017 schedule

The Elon University football team’s schedule for the 2017 season was released Wednesday, Feb. 1. The Phoenix will play the same eight Colonial Athletic Association teams it played last year, with the locations flipped from 2016.


SPORTS 2/1/17 8:30am

Sophomore taking star turn

When Elon University head men’s basketball coach Matt Matheny was recruiting sophomore forward Tyler Seibring, Matheny felt confident that he had a found a quality player for the basketball program. “When we saw him in the recruiting process, he’s exactly what we want in the system,” Matheny said. And now, firmly entrenched in second season through the Colonial Athletic Association, Seibring is blossoming into Elon’s best all-around player, leading the team in points, rebounds, blocks and minutes played. And, for Matheny, Seibring’s been a perfect fit at Elon, able to contribute in every facet of the game from the moment he stepped on campus. “He fits so well with his ability to pass — everybody can see he can shoot, but he can pass with his right hand, he can pass with his left hand,” Matheny said.


SPORTS 1/21/17 10:59pm

Swoope's late burst leads Elon over William & Mary

With the game tied with less than three minutes to go, the Elon University men’s basketball team turned to sophomore guard Dainan Swoope, who scored 10-straight points for the Phoenix to catapult Elon to a 71-62 win over the College of William & Mary Saturday night in Alumni Gym. And, for head coach Matt Matheny, the team’s response to a 22-point first half — the lowest scoring half Elon has had this season — was the biggest takeaway from the night. “For our guys to go through what was a jagged, rough first half and to come out and start the second half the way that they did, and then to defend for 40 minutes against what I think is a very good offensive team, makes me as a coach proud of how hard they’re working and how well we played tonight,” Matheny said.


SPORTS 1/21/17 11:16am

Elon's 9-game winning streak ends vs. JMU

The Elon University women's basketball team found itself in another close battle with James Madison University, but unlike in its nine previous games, the Phoenix couldn't pull it out, falling 76-70 Friday night in front of a record crowd in Alumni Gym.


SPORTS 1/19/17 11:09pm

Seibring's career high leads Elon over Drexel

Led by a career-high 25 points from sophomore forward Tyler Seibring, the Elon University men’s basketball team routed Drexel University 93-73 Thursday night in Alumni Gym. Head coach Matt Matheny felt it was one of Elon’s better all-around performances of the season, as the Phoenix held Drexel to 38.6 percent shooting, outrebounded the Dragons 38-33 and only needed 10 3-pointers to get to 93 points. “It could be one of our best 40-minute performances, and in a lot of ways, I think it is,” Matheny said.


SPORTS 1/18/17 3:50pm

Women's basketball scorching through start of CAA play

It would be forgivable if junior guard Shay Burnett and the Elon University women’s basketball team showed off a little bit of their confidence right about now. The Phoenix has won nine straight games — a program record for the Division I era and the longest winning streak since 1981-1982 — and currently sits alone atop the Colonial Athletic Association standings, holding a perfect 5-0 conference record and a 13-4 record overall. But Burnett is following the direction of her head coach, Charlotte Smith, and trying to keep the displays of confidence to a minimum on the court.



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