ELON, N.C. – The Elon University men’s basketball team is back on its home floor on Sunday, Nov. 27 taking on Radford at 2 p.m. at Schar Center.
HOW TO FOLLOW
• Sunday’s game will be streamed live on FloHoops.
• Listen to the Elon Sports Network from Learfield on The Varsity Network app.
• Longtime voice of the Phoenix, Taylor Durham, will be on the call with the pregame show beginning at 1:30 p.m. with analyst Chase Williams.
• Links for the broadcast and live stats can be found on the Elon men’s basketball schedule page at elonphoenix.com.
• Other in-game updates will be provided on Twitter by following @ElonMBasketball.
TICKETS ON SALE
• Season tickets are now on sale for $170 for men’s basketball.
• Single-game tickets are now on sale! Single-game tickets begin at $15 for men’s basketball.
• Fans are able to purchase a book of 10 ticket vouchers for $75. These vouchers are redeemable for a ticket to any Elon men’s or women’s basketball regular season home game. Use all 10 for any one game, or use one voucher for 10 different games. Fans will also receive an Elon mini autographed basketball from the head coaches. These tickets represent a 50 percent savings for men’s basketball tickets and a 25 percent savings for women’s basketball vs. single-game prices.
• Ticket vouchers must be redeemed for a reserved seat ticket prior to entry. This can be done at the Schar Center Box Office during regular business hours (M-F, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.) or starting 90 minutes prior to tipoff.
• For more information, visit ElonTickets.com or call the Elon Ticket Office at 336-278-6750.
THE MATCHUP
• Sunday marks the 14th meeting between the Phoenix and the Highlanders with Radford leading the all-time series 8-5. The contest will also be the first between the two programs at Schar Center.
• Elon defeated Radford in the most recent meeting on Nov. 22, 2017, 77-74. Dainan Swoope finished with 24 points and eight rebounds, while Brian Dawkins added a 21-point performance. Swoope made five three-pointers while Dawkins was an efficient 9-of-16 from the floor.
• Both teams were members of the Big South from 1999-2003 with both teams deadlocked at 2-2 during that stretch.
• Radford’s last win in the series came in the 2016-17 season with the Highlanders taking a 68-56 win on its home floor.
LAST TIME OUT
• Elon closed out a two-game road swing at Jacksonville State on Tuesday, Nov. 22. The Phoenix struggled in the second half against the Gamecocks, shooting only 25 percent from the floor as JSU earned the 78-53 win.
• Zac Ervin led the Phoenix with a season-best 16 points as he knocked down four treys. Sean Halloran joined him in double figures with 14 on 4-of-7 shooting.
• Elon’s nine threes in the game were also a season-high for the team this season. Halloran was 3-of-4 from behind the arc, his second game with three or more triples out of his past three games.
• The Phoenix fell to 0-2 all-time versus the Gamecocks in their first meeting since last year’s 93-81 shootout at Elon.
LAUNCHING THE BILLY TAYLOR ERA
• Taylor was named the 19th head coach of the Phoenix on April 15, 2022. Taylor arrived to the Phoenix after spending the past three seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Iowa.
• Prior to working with the Hawkeyes, Taylor spent five years as head coach at Lehigh University followed by six seasons as the head coach at Ball State University and three at Belmont Abbey College.
• In his time at Iowa, the Hawkeyes ranked as one of the top offensive teams in the country, ranking fifth nationally in scoring average in both 2021 (83.7) and 2022 (83.2). The program also led the country in assist-to-turnover ratio in both seasons.
• Taylor was a two-time Patriot League Coach of the Year (2003, 2004) and led Lehigh to both the regular season and tournament titles in 2004, earning a bid to the NCAA Tournament that season. He also guided Ball State to the 2009 MAC West Division crown.
SCOUTING ELON
• Torrence Watson leads the Phoenix with 12.3 points per game and 5.3 rebounds per contest. The St. Louis native has scored in double figures in four out of his six outings this season.
• Halloran is second on the Phoenix in scoring (12.0 ppg) and tied for second in the Colonial Athletic Association with 4.2 assists per game. The graduate student has shot 57 percent from three (8-of-14) over his past three games. The Orlando, Fla., native leads the CAA with 2.5 steals per game, which is 18th overall in the country.
• Ervin is the third Phoenix player scoring in double figures at 10.7 ppg. The senior has a team-high 13 three-pointers as his four triples against Jacksonville State was his fourth multi-three game.
• Rookie Max Mackinnon has been a major rotation player during his first season. The Brisbane, Australia, native has started the past two games and is fourth on the team in minutes played at 26.2 mpg. Another freshman, LA Pratt, has played 10 or more minutes in each game this season including a season-high 21 versus Jacksonville State.
• Elon has been holding opponents to 33.3 percent shooting from three so far this season. Jacksonville State became the first team to shoot better than 40 percent against the maroon and gold after knocking down .429 percent on Tuesday.
OPENING TIP
• Elon welcomes back seven letterwinners from last year’s team including five upperclassmen. Among the notable returners for the maroon and gold includes graduate student Torrence Watson and senior Zac Ervin. Both players are the leading returning scorers for Elon at 9.2 and 7.1 points per game, respectively.
• The Phoenix also welcomes back redshirt Jerald Gillens-Butler, who hopes to return to form after being named an All-Colonial Athletic Association honorable mention prior to last year. The Orlando, Fla., native appeared in only 10 games last year after missing most of the prior season due to an injury.
• A pair of graduate transfers will look to make an immediate impact for the Phoenix this season. Sean Halloran arrives to the Phoenix after an outstanding four-year career at Belmont Abbey. The Orlando, Fla., native finished as the all-time career assist leader with the Crusaders while helping the program to back-to-back Conference Carolinas Tournament Championships and three straight NCAA tournament appearances. He rounded out his career averaging 14.4 points per game as a senior and concluded his career with 1,422 points.
• Another graduate transfer, John Bowen III, brings size to the Phoenix front line at 6-foot-9 and 215 pounds. The Bladenboro, N.C., native last played at UNCW in 2019-20 and appeared in 28 out of 32 games. Prior to UNCW, Bowen III was a teammate of Halloran’s at Belmont Abbey and averaged 8.9 points per game and 5.5 rebounds per contest in 2018-19 while starting 27 of 28 games.
• A pair of freshmen will also look to make an impact for the maroon and gold in 2022-23. Max Mackinnon is a 6-foot-5 swingman from Brisbane, Australia, where he won back-to-back gold medals with the U20 Australian National Team. He was also named an All-Star 5 at the Australian National Championship.
• Another freshman, LA Pratt, is a 6-foot-5 guard from Columbus, Ohio, who was a three-time All-4A Team member and three-time conference champion at Lincoln Park High School. He scored over 1,000 points in high school and helped guide the program to two WPIAL Championship appearances and two State Semifinal appearances.
SCOUTING RADFORD
• The Highlanders are set at 3-3 on the season after falling 62-51 at William & Mary on Wednesday. The loss snapped a three-game win streak for Radford, who has earned victories Bridgewater, Averett and Army this season.
• Freshman guard Kenyon Giles leads the Highlanders in scoring (13.5 ppg) while knocking down a team-high 13 three-pointers. Redshirt junior DaQuan Smith is second on the team with 12.3 points per game.
• The Highlanders have received quality contribution from its bench this season. Radford is averaging 33.57 points per game which is 29th overall in the nation.
• Radford is coached by Darrin Nichols, who is in his second season at the helm of the Highlander program. Prior to Radford, Nichols served as an assistant coach at the University of Florida.
UP NEXT
The Phoenix returns home to host Radford after the Thanksgiving break on Sunday, Nov. 27, at Schar Center. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m.
— ELON —
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