They fought, but came 10 points short of reaching the Southern Conference Championship game with a chance to go to the NCAA Tournament. At the time, the Elon University women’s basketball team’s spirits were down in the dumps, but head coach Charlotte Smith stayed positive.
She praised her team, defended her players and ultimately told reporters what she thought would happen in the coming week in regards to a potential postseason tournament.
“I believe we’ll be there,” she said. “We had a very, very solid regular season, played some great teams and beat some great teams, so I really feel like we have a chance to play in the postseason.”
Late Monday night, March 18, news came through that she was right. The Phoenix received a bid to the Women’s Basketball Invitational as a No. 4 seed, the second time in school history Elon has been in the field.
With tears following the 71-61 loss to Davidson College March 10 in the SoCon tournament, seniors Kelsey Evans and Ali Ford started to reflect on what could have been thinking their respective careers had come to an end.
Ford was largely shut down by Davidson guard Laura Murray in what could have been her final game of a decorated career at Elon. Evans led the Phoenix with 16 points, but she struggled to keep Davidson senior forward Sophia Aleksandravicius at bay.
Now, the two get another chance to write the finish they dreamed of. It might not be in the tournament they longed for and came two wins away from reaching, but the dynamic duo gets to play in the friendly confines of Alumni Gym at least one more time when the Phoenix host Eastern Kentucky University tonight at 7 p.m.
The Colonels come in holding an 18-11 record and are looking to rebound from a 78-63 loss to the University of Tennessee at Martin in the quarterfinals of the Ohio Valley Conference tournament.
On the other hand, the men’s basketball team had a feeling they would get to continue its season after winning the Southern Conference North division and losing to the College of Charleston in the semifinals of the SoCon tournament.
Word made its way through campus early Saturday morning when it was announced the Phoenix had accepted a bid to the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament.
Having to pay to host a first round game, the Phoenix are on the road in Buffalo, N.Y. to take on the Canisius Golden Griffiths at 7 p.m. It’s the first-ever meeting between the two teams.
Junior guard Jack Isenbarger has had a week to get healthy after ailing during the conference tournament, and senior guard Josh Bonney gets another chance to shine like he has in the previous two SoCon Tournaments.
This is the first time the men have been to a postseason tournament since joining the Division I ranks. It’s just the ninth time the Phoenix has reached a postseason tournament in 104 years of action.
Canisius brings an 18-13 record to the table having lost in the semifinals of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference to the Iona Gaels. Iona earned a No. 15 seed in the NCAA Tournament. They take on No. 2 Ohio State University.