With the losses piling up and nothing seeming to work, Elon University head coach Matt Matheny is doing anything he can to change the Phoenix's fortunes.
On Thursday night against Samford University, that meant trotting out a different starting lineup. For the first time since his sophomore season, senior guard Drew Spradlin began the game on the bench.
"You'll have to ask Coach Matheny," a clearly frustrated Spradlin said when asked why he wasn't on the floor for the opening tip.
Matheny said he made the change in an effort to "change the way we start." But even with Spradlin's team-high 19 points coming off the bench, Elon tasted defeat for the seventh time in eight games. The Bulldogs got ahead early and stayed ahead late, winning 86-80 in Alumni Gym.
Despite shooting 29-58 (50 percent) from the floor, Elon (8-9 overall, 2-4 Southern Conference) was outclassed offensively by a Samford (5-12, 2-4) team that wouldn't miss from behind the arc. The Bulldogs made a season-high 16 3-pointers on 30 attempts and only trailed for 1:07 on the night.
"It seemed like every time we made a mistake, they made a three," Matheny said.
And every time Elon made a run, it followed it up with a few costly errors.
After Ryley Beaumont threw down a dunk to give the Phoenix a 50-48 lead, the Bulldogs rallied back with a 7-0 run of their own in a 54-second span. Later in the half, after a Beaumont layup drew the Phoenix to within two, another Samford streak stretched the lead to eight, effectively putting the game away.
"I thought we really played hard," Matheny said. "But we made too many defensive mistakes to expect a win."
The 3-pointers were a change of pace from the typical Samford offense. The Bulldogs normally run a classic Princeton offense, a strategy that involves back cuts toward the basket, screens and long possessions.
"They are known to have a pure Princeton offense," Matheny said. "This year he (Samford coach Jerry Tillette)'s letting them go a little more. ... They're taking shots earlier in the possessions."
On defense, Samford used a 2-3 matchup zone to force Elon into taking shots from the perimeter. The Phoenix took 27 of its 58 shots from behind the 3-point line. Nobody accepted the dare more so than Jack Isenbarger. The sophomore guard shot the ball 15 times, every last one of them a 3-point attempt.
"They want us to shoot outside shots," Isenbarger, who scored 15 points in his second start of the season, said.
Tyler Hood led all scorers with 25 points and was one of four Samford players in double figures. Drew Windler added 21 points, Raijon Kelly scored 19 and Will Cook poured in 13 for the Bulldogs.
Despite the loss, Matheny said his team performed "light years" better than it did Jan. 14, when Elon fell to the College of Charleston 63-44 and shot a season-low 23.9 percent.
"I think we're getting better," Matheny said. "I didn't feel that way five days ago. ... I know that we're not getting an at-large bid. I know that if we can be really, really good in late-February, early-March, then that's what we want to do.