The Elon Phoenix stand atop the North Division of the Southern Conference at 4-3.
Not even close to the perfect conference record of South Division leader Davidson College.
But after a stretch where Elon lost seven of eight games, including five straight, ended Jan. 21 at home against UT-Chattanooga, a tight 88-87 victory in which freshman guard Austin Hamilton scored a career-high 20 points, things are looking up. The Phoenix look to continue that bounce back tonight against Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, N.C.
“Our backs have been against the wall lately,” Elon head coach Matt Matheny said following that critical victory. “We’ve lost some close games, but we had a choice – throw in the towel or fight. And we are going to fight. That is why this is an Elon basketball victory tonight.”
The Catamounts (9-11 overall, 3-4 SoCon) are coming off of an 84-72 loss to the Appalachian State University Mountaineers Jan. 21. Western Carolina has four players averaging double-digits in scoring, led by redshirt senior guard Harouna Mutombo (13.8 ppg) and Preseason All-Conference Team selection redshirt sophomore guard Trey Sumler (12.0 ppg).
But perhaps the wildest game for Western Carolina was their Jan. 17 tilt with Toccoa Falls College which the Catamounts won 141-39. Yes, that’s a 102-point deficit. Western Carolina had 87 bench points and had nine players score in double-digits.
By no stretch of the imagination is Elon (9-9, 4-3) a Toccoa Falls-type team. In recovering from the long losing streak in December and into January, highlighted by a 63-44 loss to the College of Charleston, the Phoenix have scored 80+ points in back-to-back games, shooting 50% against Samford University and 48.4% against Chattanooga.
One player who is embodying this so far brief jolt is sophomore forward Ryley Beaumont. After picking up only one point on zero-percent shooting against Charleston, Beaumont scored 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting against Samford and a career-high 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting against Chattanooga.
Shooting is something the Phoenix will need to continue to improve on if they are to win that North Division crown. App State and UNCG are both 4-4 in the SoCon and will tie the Phoenix for first along with the Catamounts if Elon suffers a loss tonight.
It’s crowded up at the top for Elon. Phoenix fans will truly see the mettle of this team in the next couple games. After tonight’s matchup, Elon takes on the Mountaineers Saturday in Boone.
Probable Starting Lineups
ELON: So. G Jack Isenbarger (10.0 ppg, 3.2 rpg), Fr. G Austin Hamilton (10.7 ppg, 2.4 apg), So. G Sebastian Koch (8.2 ppg, 5.6 rpg), So. F Ryley Beaumont (6.0 ppg, 5.1 rpg), So. F Lucas Troutman (12.9 ppg, 5.5 rpg)
WCU: So. G Trey Sumler (12.0 ppg, 4.4 rpg), Sr. G Harouna Mutumbo (13.8 ppg, 6.1 rpg), So. G Brandon Boggs (10.7 ppg, 3.6 rpg), So. F Tawasaki King (6.2 ppg, 4.3 rpg), So. F Preston Ross (4.8 ppg, 3.9 rpg)