In a battle between the Coastal Athletic Association’s top two offenses, it was Elon men’s basketball’s defense that stood strong in a 79-76 win for the Phoenix against the College of William & Mary Tribe.
There was a season-high crowd of 1,815 fans in attendance for Elon’s annual “jersey night,” where the first 200 attendees received a free team jersey after the game. The Phoenix delivered the audience a thrilling comeback victory.
William & Mary’s size, shooting and pace proved tough for Elon. Head coach Billy Taylor said the Tribe’s fast-paced offense can be overwhelming.
“William & Mary is a tough cover, because they play with a top-5 pace in the country,” Taylor said. “It puts a lot of pressure on your transition defense to be organized, communicate and to try not to give up transition threes.”
The Phoenix struggled to keep up with the Tribe’s offense — slow getting back on defense and late on contesting transition 3-pointers.
Midway through the first half, the Tribe drained four straight 3-point shots to take a commanding 29-17 lead. Elon’s home crowd was silent, as the road team had begun to run away with the game.
Although the Phoenix managed to cut the lead to seven by halftime, William & Mary had made its mark. Despite the deficit, redshirt sophomore Ned Hull said the team remained confident.
“It’s always on to the next play,” Hull said. “You can’t affect what’s in the past. It’s always next split, and make sure you move on from what has happened.”
Elon played without graduate student and second leading scorer Kacper Klaczek, who has missed the last three games with an injury. Klaczek’s absence leaves big shoes to fill offensively. Taylor said Hull stepped up to the challenge.
“We tend to play and operate with a next man up mentality, and we really saw that tonight, seeing Ned step in and his contributions off the bench,” Taylor said. “He's been like that, but more so, he could tell his team needed them, and he was ready to step up.”
Hull played the full 20 minutes of the second half, draining 3-pointers and grabbing clutch steals to keep Elon up offensively. His contributions kept the Phoenix within seven points for most of the second half, waiting to strike.
“I’ve been working hard. It was going to show eventually,” Hull said.
As the Phoenix began to warm up offensively, they firmed up on the glass. Elon let up seven offensive rebounds in the first half. In the second, they only gave up two. Taylor said that was the moment the game changed.
“It allowed us to get into the fast break and play a little more in transition,” Taylor said. “The ability to block out finished possessions is always big for us.”
Defense turned into offense. After Elon rebounded a missed 3-pointer, graduate student Ja’Juan Carr raced down the floor to sink an acrobatic layup, taking a 71-70 lead. It was Elon’s first lead since halfway through the first half.
The two teams continued to battle back and forth, but Elon would have the last laugh. Transition layups by sophomore Bryson Cokely and graduate student Chandler Cuthrell gave the Phoenix a 3-point lead with 40 seconds left. Elon’s resurgent physical defense forced the Tribe into a last-second, contested 3-pointer, which fell short.
Five players ended the game in double-digit scoring for the Phoenix, a complete turnaround from Elon’s slow offense in the first half: Bryson Cokely, Chandler Cuthrell, Isaac Harrell, Ned Hull and Randall Pettus II.
Taylor said the win speaks to the team's character.
“Guys were disciplined,” Taylor said. “They were committed to what we were teaching and understood, ‘Hey, we really have to go out and execute this game plan, play with the hunger and desire.’ We did that. I'm really just incredibly proud of these guys.”
Taylor also credited the win to Elon’s crowd, which erupted in the final minutes of the game.
“It has a huge impact, especially in a close game,” Taylor said. “You like to think that the crowd, or the sixth man, was really big in the deflections we got in the end, forcing steals and a turnover. Really grateful for the crowd that showed up and hope to see them again on Saturday.”
Elon moves to a 13-9 record and 5-4 in conference play, fourth best in the CAA. Elon next plays Stony Brook University on Jan. 31 at home.