Editor's Note: The Elon men's basketball team defeated Georgia Southern University 55-50 Wednesday night in the Southern Conference opener for both teams. Reporter Tyler Ash takes a look at the contest.
Stars of the Game
Elon junior forward Lucas Troutman led the Phoenix in scoring with 16 points. He also chipped in five rebounds, four steals and two blocks. Troutman now has 19 blocks on the season, a league-best. Junior guard Jack Isenbarger added 12 points, none bigger than his two free throws made with seven seconds remaining to extend the Phoenix lead to five and seal the win. He also added four rebounds and four assists in a team-high 35 minutes played. Georgia Southern junior guard Tre Bussey scored 16 points for the Eagles. Eagles junior forward Eric Ferguson struggled shooting from the field but was able to have an impact on the glass, grabbing a game-high 11 rebounds.
No Start for Ferguson?
Ferguson led the Eagles in scoring (13.6), rebounding (7.4) and minutes (31.0) through the first five games but didn’t get the start for the first time all season for violation of team rules. He entered the contest with 16:24 remaining in the first half. He scored his first points when converting on an and-one layup on a foul committed by Elon sophomore forward Ryan Winters with 9:48 remaining. Despite not starting, Ferguson played a team-high 34 minutes off the bench.
Great Defense on Ferguson
The Phoenix made a conscious effort to stop Ferguson, who averaged 21 points and 11 rebounds in his last two meetings against Elon. Winters and junior forward Ryley Beaumont played commendable ball-hawking defense on Ferguson all night as he never could get into his comfort zone shooting the ball, making just 3-of-13 from the field.
Controlling the First Half
Elon led for almost the entirety of the first half as they took a 32-26 lead into the break. This marked the fifth time in seven games they have taken the lead into the locker-room. The Phoenix controlled the glass, outrebounding Georgia Southern by five (16-11) as the Eagles were only able to muster two offensive rebounds. The most notable stat of the half may have been that the Phoenix was able to convert the Eagles' eight turnovers into 10 points, but the Eagles were unable to convert any of the Phoenix’s sic turnovers into points. Bussey led the Eagles in scoring at the half with nine, while Isenbarger led the Phoenix with seven points at the intermission.
Turning Point I: Phoenix Weather the Storm then Go on Big Run
Isenbarger opened up the scoring in the second half by nailing a three-pointer just over a minute into the half. Troutman then connected on two free throws to open up the Phoenix lead to 37-26. But the Eagles stormed back scoring 8 straight points, via Eric Ferguson free throws and three pointers by Tre Bussey and C.J Reed to cut the Phoenix lead to 3. But the Phoenix was able to keep their composure in a suddenly hostile environment at Hanner Field House. A trey by sophomore guard Austin Hamilton keyed a 12-0 Phoenix run that pushed the lead back over double-digits as Elon was successfully able to weather the storm of the Eagles to quiet the crowd.
Turning Point II: Eagles Make Amazing Comeback That Falls Just Short
The Eagles trailed 53-40 with 3:40 remaining as the game seemed all but over. But Georgia Southern was not ready to quit just yet. A layup on the fastbreak by Bussey started the Eagles run and then three-pointers by Bussey and Ferguson cut the lead to five. The Phoenix turned the ball over four times in a two-minute span as the door was further opened for the Eagles to steal the win. The Eagles got within three at 53-50 with 40 seconds remaining but Isenbarger's two free throws with seven seconds remaining sealed the win.
What it Means
For the second straight season, the Phoenix has tiped-off conference play with a win. Elon has won five of their last six games after dropping its first contest of the year against Butler. Elon now leads the all-time series 10-9 against Georgia Southern and are at Hanner Fieldhouse. Elon will continue Southern Conference play on Saturday Night in Alumni Gym as they host College of Charleston. Georgia Southern, meanwhile, will look for its first conference win at Samford University on Saturday night.