A euphoric cheer. Earbursting levels of crowd noise. A steady flow of “defense!” chants.
Those were some of the scenes in Schar Center on Jan. 10 a minute before the ending of an absolute thriller for the Elon University men’s basketball team. In the team’s first home game since winter break, 1,743 fans were in attendance delivering a powerful home court advantage as Elon won 83-82. Head coach Billy Taylor said he was happy with the team’s resilience.
“We've got to tighten some things up, but certainly much better to learn from a win against a really good ball club,” Taylor said.
But their lead did not come until the last minute of the game. Campbell came out of the gates hot, quickly going up 5-0. Elon’s shots continued to find the rim rather than the net in the opening minutes and started the game 2-8 from the field. The 3-pointer was especially an issue for Elon. The Phoenix, who entered the game leading the CAA in 3-pointers per game, started 1-5 from beyond the arc.
The Fighting Camels, on the other hand, were shooting exceptionally. Campbell was up 21-9 halfway through the first half. Elon’s offense was also sloppy, notching a few early turnovers. It was all Campbell as the shots just didn’t fall for Elon. Campbell’s offensive effort was spearheaded by a massive 32-point performance by guard DJ Smith.
“DJ Smith had a huge night against us, he’s a dynamic player,” Taylor said. “He scores in a lot of different ways, leads the league in 3-pointers made and free throws made, and we see why. He's a very talented ball player.”
Elon began to inch their way back into the game thanks to several free throws. Elon got physical in the paint and drew fouls. They also began to employ a press defense and had two defenders swarm Campbell’s point guard as he came up the court.
This all led to a 3-minute scoring drought and a 9-0 run by Elon to get the lead down to three with less than five minutes remaining in the first half. Elon fans erupted into boisterous cheers after a poster dunk by graduate student Kacper Klaczek that capped off the run.
Elon got the lead down to three thanks to a pair of 3-pointers by graduate student Ja’Juan Carr and junior Randall Pettus II, but Campbell regained their offense enough to maintain a decent lead at halftime. A flurry of fouls late in the half were called on Elon, which drew the ire of the crowd in the form of “boos” and complaints aimed at the referees, also allowed Campbell to maintain the lead.
Campbell went into the locker room up by six, but their once 12-point lead had been cut in half and the two team’s field goal percentages were almost identical, despite a rough start for Elon.
Carr said it was important for the team to know that the game was going to have ups and downs.
“The main thing is just keep fighting,” Carr said. “Keep playing tough, keep playing aggressive because that's what's going to get us back in the game.”
The lead didn’t change much in the first several minutes of the second half as both offenses hit on all cylinders. At the center of it for the Phoenix was graduate student Chandler Cuthrell, who had 16 points at the 16-minute mark. Throughout the first few months of the season, Cuthrell has emerged as one of the best mid-major players in the country, ranking 14th nationally in points per game. He is also only one of five players in the country to average at least 21 points per game and 6 rebounds.
Fouls continued to plague Elon as Campbell’s continuous points accumulated from free throws prevented Elon from completing a full comeback. Campbell finished with seven more free throw attempts than Elon. Campbell’s defense also had found a spark, shutting down a red-hot Cuthrell for several minutes.
Going into the final five minutes, Campbell had not scored for a couple of minutes, but Elon had failed to take advantage, still trailing by seven.
But out of nowhere, a miraculous performance appeared in a crowded Schar Center. Elon scored eight unanswered points in less than 90 seconds to bring the lead down to one. The crowd got on their feet as they watched nervously.
With less than two minutes left, Pettus threaded through a crowd of defenders and got the game-winning layup. Pettus credited his teammates for getting an opportunity open.
“I just drove in, just kind of laid it in, just being aggressive and confident,” Pettus said.
After a missed 3-pointer by redshirt sophomore Ned Hull, Campbell had the ball with eight seconds left, setting up a potential heartbreaker for Elon. But Elon’s stout defense, which held Campbell scoreless in the final four minutes, forced a Campbell guard into an off-balance fadeaway jumper that fell short.
Pettus credited the defense in the final minutes to an increased sense of urgency and more communication. He also said getting defensive rebounds was key.
Reflecting on the comeback, Taylor said that they were trying to get over the hump during the game and there’s a “lot of fight in that locker room.” He said that gritty conference wins like this help show the team what they can become.
“They always believe in themselves, and they're going to continue to compete regardless of the score or the situation,” Taylor said. “It really says a lot about our guys, how much we've grown and matured over the course of this season, and hopefully better things are ahead for us.”
Taylor said that he felt the atmosphere from the crowd.
“We had a great crowd tonight, tremendous energy, and down the stretch in a close ball game, that can really propel you, and I thought it really helped us,” Taylor said.
Elon moves to an 11-6 record and 3-1 in conference play as they look to finish with a winning record in conference play for the first time since the 2016-17 season.
Elon plays next Jan. 15 at Northeastern.