The Elon University women’s basketball team rode a strong first quarter to its third straight Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) win, a 80-58 victory over Towson University Friday night.
Coming off her game winning shot against Delaware, sophomore guard Shay Burnett had a game-high 19 points, six rebounds and six assists. Junior guard Essence Baucom chipped in 15 points as all but two players scored for the Phoenix (15-8 overall, 8-4 CAA).
“The good thing is that we have capable players from all positions so we don’t have to say, ‘Okay, let’s get the ball to this one particular person every single time,’” said Elon head coach Charlotte Smith. “We have pretty much an equal opportunity offense when it comes to our motion offense, where everyone has an opportunity to score and when you have balanced scoring like that, it makes it a difficult matchup for your opponents.”
After being tied 6-6, Elon went on an 18-2 run and never looked back. The lead ballooned to as much as 29 points as the Phoenix posted their third 80-point game of the season. The Phoenix, fed off a stellar defensive effort, holding Towson (5-18, 2-10 CAA) to 37.3% shooting.
“If our defensive focus is good and our shots are falling, I think that generates a lot of energy for us," Smith said.
With the win, the Phoenix avenged its Jan. 15 loss to Towson. Elon will look to continue its win streak at 2 p.m. Sunday when it hosts Northeastern University.