Elon University sophomore guard Austin Hamilton remembers it all too well.

Late in the first half of the Phoenix’s 69-63 loss to the Georgi

a Southern University Eagles Jan. 5, then-sophomore forward Eric Ferguson, the Eagles’ leading scorer, drove the paint and dunked on Hamilton.

“He got me,” he said Monday. “I can’t knock him for that. It’s funny, because I used to say, ‘Man, I’ll never get dunked on.’ Then in my first year of college basketball, it happens. We’ve just got to move on to the next one.”

Elon got Georgia Southern back for that loss, defeating the Eagles 65-58 March 3 in the quarterfinals of the Southern Conference Tournament.

This season, SoCon play for the Phoenix (4-2) begins in Statesboro, Ga., against the Eagles (2-3) at 7 p.m. Wednesday.

The conference opener comes off what was an even split of a long holiday weekend. The Phoenix defeated the University of South Carolina for the second year in a row Nov. 21, taking a 65-53 decision from the previously unbeaten Gamecocks in Columbia. Three days later, Virginia Military Institute handed Elon a 90-81 loss, in which the Keydets got 30 points and 16 rebounds from senior forward Stan Okoye.

For Hamilton, the win over the Gamecocks was nice, but it had a different feel this time around.

“I think, as we’ve matured, we knew we were supposed to beat them,” he said. “Last year, it was a surprise, beating an SEC team. We’ve got that confidence (now) knowing that we can beat teams like that. It was definitely a great win but it wasn’t as hyped up as it was last year.”

It's one of the many things that the Phoenix's bench boss is happy about.

“We’re still growing,” said Elon head coach Matt Matheny. “We’ve made a lot of progress. Even in our loss at VMI, there were some really good things that are starting to become habits. As disappointing as the loss was, I know we’re still moving forward. But we’ve got a long way to go. We told our players after the game it’s a marathon season and it’s important that we understand through good experiences and bad experiences we’ve got to continue to improve.”

Imagine you’re running one of Coach Matheny’s “marathons.” You start on a road, paved, and you run for a couple miles. Then a sign directs you to a rougher path, rockier, more difficult terrain. You run that for a couple more miles, then hop back on the paved road.

That’s the first conference bump in the schedule.

“They’re big starting points for the season,” Hamilton said. “Georgia Southern’s another aggressive, tough team. We’ve got to match that toughness and just play our game. If we can do those things, we can be successful.”

That toughness is something Matheny has pined for this season and can be evidenced in the rebounding numbers. In just one of the Phoenix’s six games this season has Elon outrebounded its opponents (Nov. 13 against Bridgewater College).

After losing the turnover battle by 11 against Florida Atlantic University Nov. 18 and by 13 against South Carolina, the number improved against VMI as both teams grabbed 39 boards each.

“That’s an example of what I’m seeing on film as an example of good habits,” Matheny said. “We are better at boxing out as a team now than we were two weeks ago at Butler. So I’m starting to see good habits. We’re not consistent with it. As a result, if you’re not, you could lose the rebounding battle.”

The paint will be a key part of the Phoenix’s matchup with Georgia Southern. The Eagles are the worst rebounding team in the conference (-6.8 rebounding margin per game), but Ferguson, now a junior, is sixth in the SoCon in rebounding (7.8 boards per game). He’s also averaging 14.4 points per game, 11th in the conference.

Matheny said both teams are in a “similar phase” in that Georgia Southern head coach Charlton Young’s staff has been in Statesboro the same amount of time that Matheny’s staff has been at Elon.

“We’ve seen them go from sixth in the south to third in the South last year,” Matheny said. “They’ve really come along. Ferguson’s the best player in the league, at least one of the best players in the league.”

Most importantly, starting off conference play 1-0 would be sweet because of what time of year this game really matters.

“Our guys know this one counts in March,” Matheny said. “They all (count) towards your record, but in conference, they tally it twice.”

It means twice as much for seeding in the conference tournament and getting that bye into the quarterfinals reserved for the division champs and top two teams otherwise.

Needless to say, this one is crucial.

 

Game Notes

  • Elon junior forward Lucas Troutman was named the SoCon Player of the Week for the week ending Nov. 27. He averaged 16.5 points and seven rebounds per game in the Phoenix’s last two games and is currently ninth in the SoCon in points (14.8 ppg) and first in blocked shots (2.8 bpg).
  • Wednesday is the 19th all-time meeting between the two schools with the series tied 9-9, 4-4 when Elon is on the road. The last time these teams met in Statesboro, Elon pulled out a 72-57 victory, as Troutman scored 14 points and added four blocks while former Elon guard Drew Spradlin and Ferguson had 16 points each.
  • Elon freshman guard Tanner Samson is averaging 29.5 minutes per game, second-most on the team despite starting just one game this season. “He doesn’t play like a freshman,” Matheny said of Samson. “He plays with the poise of a veteran and he’s picked up our system really quickly. Not only do I have confidence in him but our team has confidence in him.”
  • Elon sophomore forward Ryan Winters played against both South Carolina and VMI after missing the game against Florida Atlantic with knee soreness, averaging 12 minutes and two points per game in those two contests. “He’s earning minutes. I like how far he’s come,” Matheny said. “He didn’t play a ton as a freshman, so the experience he’s getting right now is very valuable, and he’s earning it.”