DAVIDSON, N.C. – It looked over. The atmosphere inside Belk Arena made it feel like it was over.
But Elon University senior forward Lucas Troutman kept saying, “Believe.”
Down by 14 points with just under five minutes remaining, the Phoenix clawed its way back and pulled off a thrilling 87-85 win in overtime over Davidson College.
Elon used a 16-2 run over the final 4:42, capped by a three-pointer from senior guard Jack Isenbarger with 2.4 seconds left, just to force overtime. Troutman had an open lane underneath, but he dished it back up top to junior guard Kevin Blake who found Isenbarger at the top of the key.
“It was a read-and-react,” Isenbarger said. “Just playing basketball. Nothing designed or set, just kind of improv.”
After a half-court miss by Davidson as time expired, Elon took a four point lead to begin overtime, before the Wildcats stormed right back to take an 81-80 lead with 2:20 remaining. Davidson senior forward De’Mon Brooks fouled out with 1:57 in overtime, something that proved to be a turning point for the Phoenix.
“That opened up a lot of things for us,” Troutman said. “He is aggressive and he has the ability to make crazy shots.”
Troutman scored the next four points for Elon, and the Phoenix did not trail again. He hit two free throws with 5.1 seconds left to take an 87-83 lead, before Davidson senior guard Tom Droney scored with just over a second left to cut the deficit to two. The Wildcats almost pulled a miracle out of nowhere, as sophomore forward Jake Belford stole the inbounds pass and flung up a three-pointer that rimmed out at the buzzer.
“It’s a very good win,” Elon head coach Matt Matheny said. “It’s a very good win because we beat the defending champions. We beat the team that’s been the standard-bearer in this league for a long time. Our backs were against the wall with a deficit late in the game, and we kept playing and kept playing.”
Troutman finished with 28 points and 12 rebounds – while playing matched up with Brooks, the two-time reigning Southern Conference Tournament Most Valuable Player and the league’s Preseason Player of the Year. Brooks showed a strong physical advantage for much of the game, bodying up on Troutman and the other Elon posts while recording 28 points and 10 rebounds.
“He was sensational,” Matheny said of Brooks.
Trailing 74-60 with 4:45 to go in regulation, the Phoenix chipped away at Davidson’s lead little by little. It began with some free throws by Troutman and Isenbarger, was added to with a jumper by senior forward Ryley Beaumont, and was exclaimed with an Isenbarger three-pointer to cut the deficit to 74-69. Troutman had the next four points – all underneath the basket – to come within a possession.
Davidson senior guard Chris Czerapowicz sank a pair of free throws with 13.6 seconds left to go up three before Isenbarger hit the game-tying shot.
“This was the most satisfying win I’ve ever been a part of – through middle school, through high school,” Isenbarger said. “This is incredible. I’m just proud of our fight. We never gave up or gave in. We continued to play defense and play tough and rebound the ball. That’s what we’ve been trying to do.”
“Now, we proved to ourselves that we can finish in the clutch and finish down the stretch. If you want to be an NCAA Tournament team, that’s what you have to do – finish in the second half in late game situations.”
The win ended a 23-game home SoCon winning streak for Davidson, and was the first time Elon beat the Wildcats as a Division I team in 10 tries. The Phoenix was picked in the preseason to finish first in the SoCon, while Davidson was slated second.
“It opened up a lot of our eyes tonight,” Troutman said, “to how we should play and getting back to the way we have been playing.”
The teams opened up the night firing, jumping out to ties of 11-11 and 17-17 at the first two media timeouts. The Phoenix made 14 of its first 20 shots and led by as many as 10 in the first half. The Wildcats ended the half on a 12-2 run, highlighted by a three-pointer from sophomore guard Brian Sullivan at the buzzer, and the scored was deadlocked, 37-37, at the break.
After going back and forth for the first eight minutes of the second half, Elon hit a cold stretch. The Phoenix went more than ten minutes – from a Beaumont three-pointer with 13:48 to go until his jumper to spark the late rally with 3:35 remaining – with just one made field goal. Davidson hit four three-pointers along the way to build up the lead that would ultimately sizzle away.
The Phoenix finished with five players in double figures – Troutman (28 points), Isenbarger (15), Beaumont (15), senior guard Sebastian Koch (13), and senior guard Austin Hamilton (10). Elon shot 50.7% (34-67) from the field, and held a 46-32 advantage on the glass.
Elon improves to 10-8 overall, 3-1 in the SoCon. Next up is No. 15/16 University of Massachusetts-Amherst inside Alumni Gym on Jan. 18. It will be the first time ever that a ranked opponent plays inside Alumni Gym.
“I can’t wait,” Isenbarger said. “We’re hungry. I can’t wait to see our atmosphere – it’s going to be electric in Alumni. That’s the best place to play. It gets rowdy in there. I’m expecting a sell-out, and I’m expecting a good show.”