CHAPEL HILL, NC -- Elon held the 18th scoring offense in the nation to less than their 80-81 points per game Thursday night, but it was not enough to defeat the Tar Heels of North Carolina (7-3). Led by LaQuanda Barksdale's career-high 32 points, UNC downed the Phoenix by a 77-58 margin.

Elon (3-7) kept the game close for most of the first half, never trailing by more than 10 unitl the 5:10 mark of the period, but Carolina went on a 13-6 run to end the half and lead 46-27. In the second half Elon battled to get back into the game, however, the Phoenix never cut the lead to less than 18.

Mariam McLeod led the Phoenix scorers with 12, including 8-of-8 from the line. McLeod also grabbed five rebounds and had two assists in her 28 minutes. Holly Andrews and Jayme Chikos both added 11 points for the Phoenix. Anestha Blakeney grabbed a team-high six boards for Elon, who out-rebounded the Tar Heels by a 47-46 margin. Elon also shot a season-high from the charity stripe: 22-of-24 for 91.7 percent.

Barksdale added 14 rebounds to record a double-double for Carolina. Juana Brown finished with 16 points, while Coretta Brown ended the contest with 13 points and six assists. North Carolina was held to 35.9 percent shooting for the game.

Elon will hit the hardwood again on Saturday when they play host to North Carolina A&T at 4:30 pm.

--ELON--