In their 83-75 loss to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, the Elon Phoenix did not play bad.

Yeah, they could have hit a few more threes in the second half. Four-of-thirteen is never good from three-point range. It’s okay. But your an opponent hits 7-of-12 in the same half, and you have a three-point lead going into halftime, you’re kind of SOL.

“Credit Chattanooga for the victory,” Elon head coach Matt Matheny said. “They won the game. Our kids played with energy. Our kids played, particularly in the first half, with a confidence that is growing. We were in for a 40 minute battle and in the end Chattanooga won.”

Mocs’ senior guard Ricky Taylor had 24 points to lead Chattanooga and senior forward Omar Wattad had 22 points and eight rebounds, shooting 6-of-10 from behind the arc the entire game to help the Mocs’ to a ridiculous 46 percent success rate from three-point range.

“The seniors stepped it up but I think everybody stepped it up,” Wattad said.

In his first game back from injury, Mocs’ senior forward Jamal Burroughs added a key 11 points and nine rebounds.

"Burroughs was a huge factor tonight,” Matheny said. “They've gone through some tough games recently but it's because they've been banged up. You get Burroughs back in the lineup and they're a different team. He was a huge factor tonight."

As has been said, Elon did not play bad. The Phoenix shot 43 percent from the field for the game and got 20 points and five rebounds from sophomore guard Sebastian Koch, who was one of five Phoenix who scored in double-figures. Sophomore guard Jack Isenbarger had 14 points, eight assists and five rebounds.

The loss gave Chattanooga their first win in eight games and dealt Elon their first loss in four games. The Phoenix was knocked out of sole possession of first place in the Southern Conference’s North Division, something that Matheny has repeatedly ignored throughout the season, pointing to where his team is going positively as the key.

“It's a tough loss for us, as all losses, particularly conference losses, are,” he said. “I still like the growth of our team and the maturation of our team. We have a long way to go but I'm encouraged by the direction that we are headed."

The direction the team heads now is south, from Tennessee to Birmingham, Alabama, and another key SoCon matchup against Samford University.

The last time these teams met, Samford had four players score 13+ points on the way to a 86-80 win Jan. 19 in Alumni Gym. Both teams shot the lights out. The Bulldogs hit 49.2 percent from the field, 53.5 percent from behind the arc. The Phoenix, not to be outdone, hit an even 50 percent of their shots, 40.7 percent from three-point range. But Samford’s 16 threes outmatched the Phoenix’s 11.

“We really played hard tonight, but made too many defensive mistakes to expect to win,” Matheny said after that game. “And when we made a mistake, they made us pay. It felt like every time we made a mistake, they hit a three. I thought we made big shots tonight, but they made a few more than we did.”

Very similar to Thursday night’s game, Elon did not play bad, but Samford just played better.

The Bulldogs sit third in the SoCon North, two games behind the tied-Elon and UNCG at 6-7 in the conference. Samford lost to UNCG Thursday 71-69 at home. They are led by sophomore center Drew Windler, who is averaging 13.8 points per game, good for eighth in the conference. Windler scored 21 points for Samford in the last time these teams met.

But freshman forward Tyler Hood has been the best player for the Bulldogs as of late. Since being put in the starting lineup for the first time against the University of Texas at San Antonio Dec. 5, Hood has averaged 12.7 points and 4.5 rebounds per contest. He had his best game against the Phoenix, scoring a career-high 25 points on 8-of-13 shooting by hitting four three-point shots, adding seven rebounds.

This is a must-win game for both teams, as every game becomes that around conference time. With the SoCon Tournament beginning March 2, a good seed in the tournament is something that can’t be ignored. As well as a banner in Alumni Gym.

[box]PROBABLE STARTING LINEUPS

ELON: Sr. G Drew Spradlin (9.7 ppg, 4.0 rpg), So. G Jack Isenbarger (13.2 ppg, 3.7 rpg), So. G Sebastian Koch (9.7 ppg, 5.4 rpg), So. F Ryley Beaumont (6.4 ppg, 5.2 rpg), So. F Lucas Troutman (12.8 ppg, 5.8 rpg)

SAMFORD: Fr. G Raijon Kelly (8.2 ppg, 2.6 rpg), So. G Will Cook (7.9 ppg, 5.3 rpg), Sr. Jeffret Merritt (8.8 ppg, 6.8 rpg), Fr. F Tyler Hood (10.9 ppg, 3.8 rpg), So. C Drew Windler (13.8 ppg, 4.0 rpg)[/box]

[box]FUN FACTS

  • The Bulldogs own a 6-1 record all-time against Elon and have never lost to the Phoenix at home.
  • Samford is currently tied for 18th in the nation in three-pointers per game with 8.4 treys a contest. Elon is tied for 39th with a flat eight per game.
  • The loss to Chattanooga is only the second time this season the Phoenix has lost when scoring 70 points or more. The first? Against Samford Jan. 19.
  • Elon has scored 36 second-chance points over the past two games.
  • Isenbarger has been in the starting lineup for the Phoenix the past eight games and has scored in double-figures in each of those games, averaging 20.5 points per game during that stretch.
  • Elon will be wearing white on the road for the first time this year as Samford will be in red to raise money for the American Heart Association.
  • Spradlin has averaged 12 points per game in his career against the Bulldogs. In three career games, Isenbarger is averaging 9.7 points per contest.[/box]