Take two women’s basketball teams who have not played in at least ten days, who have never faced one another, who both feel they have something to prove and put them on a court together. The result will most likely be a physical game marred by sloppiness, which was exactly what ensued at Elon University’s Alumni Gym on Wednesday night. The host Phoenix topped the Eastern Kentucky University Lady Colonels 68-61 in the opening round of the 2013 Women’s Basketball Invitational.

“I’m just really excited that we got the win,” said Elon head coach Charlotte Smith. “This was definitely a game where we had to knock the rust off, and hopefully this will be a tune-up for us as we advance forward.”

The rust Smith spoke of was evident in a first half that featured 32 total turnovers; 18 by the Lady Colonels and 14 by the Phoenix.

“We were one degree off,” said senior guard Ali Ford. “Some of the turnovers were our mistakes, but some of them were passes were a little high, or we didn’t cut. And some of them weren’t bad turnovers.”

The Lady Colonels held an early edge, but Elon grabbed its first lead with 5:52 to play in the opening half on a layup by senior forward Kelsey Evans, just two of her team-leading 26 points on the night.

With 3:40 to play in the half, Ford hit a jumper that put the Phoenix ahead five. The jumper was no ordinary shot, as it put Ford over the 2,000-career point mark. Ford became just the second player in Elon history to achieve the feat.

“It was kind of like the SoCon three-point (record),” Ford said. “Just knowing it was pretty close last game and this game was the only time it came into my head. It’s kind of like a sigh of relief.”

Elon reached a 14-point lead with 12:37 to play in the game off of a Ford three pointer, part of a fast and physical sequence. The physicality led to one rare occurrence: a technical foul on Ford.

Senior guard Shon Redmond of the Phoenix became tied up with Lady Colonel senior guard Jalisa Bryant battling for a loose ball. As Bryant was fighting for possession, Ford came over and an argument ensued. Both Bryant and Ford were called for technical fouls.

“When you go out there and play as hard as that and another team is playing hard too, sometimes those things happen,” Ford said. “It was over with as soon as it ended.”

Evans, who fought through aggressive defense and physical play all night, was a key factor in the scoring run. She shrugged off pain, saying that it comes with the calendar.

“It’s March,” she said. “It’s part of the game. All games at this point are going to be a dogfight.”

Soon after Elon’s lead hit 14, the Lady Colonels began a slow climb that would tie the game at 57.

“Defensively, we had some lapses,” Smith said. “They did an outstanding job of being aggressive off the bounce, off the ball screen, but we made some adjustments later on toward the end of the second half.”

Elon regained the lead on a layup by sophomore forward Sam Coffer with 3:36 to play and held on from there. Sophomore guard Zora Stephenson had four points down the stretch and the Lady Colonels were unable to score on key possessions.

Overall, Evans led Elon with 26 points. Ford chipped in 14 and sophomore center Shannen Cochraham also reached double figures with 12 points. Bryant led the Lady Colonels with 19, and senior forward Alex Jones scored 11.

Elon improves to 19-13 overall and will face the winner of Mercer University and McNeese State University, who will play on Thursday night, as the Women’s Basketball Invitational continues.

For now, the careers of Evans and Ford continue. Why do they want to keep playing? There’s a simple answer from Evans.

“It’s just fun.”