ELON, N.C. – Montell Watson sank a career-high 23 points for the second time in as many games to lead five Elon scorers in double figures as the Phoenix overcame UNC Greensboro 112-108 in triple overtime Saturday night – the Southern Conference men’s basketball regular season finale for both teams – in front of a sellout crowd of 1,585 screaming fans at Alumni Gym.
With the victory, Elon (11-17 overall, 7-9 Southern Conference) moved into a third-place North Division tie with UNCG (11-16, 7-9) and wrestled the division’s number three seed away from the Spartans for next week’s Southern Conference Championship in Charleston, S.C.
The contest featured 18 ties and 24 lead changes. The Phoenix earned edges in rebounds (45-41), turnovers (12-23), steals (16-8), points off turnovers (23-18), second chance points (26-18) and bench points (60-14) to negate the Spartans’ hot shooting. UNCG fired 52.2 percent (36 of 69) from the floor for the contest, sparked by a 65.4-percent (17 of 26) clip in the opening stanza, which led to a 42-41 halftime edge.
The Spartans sank 13 of their 28 attempts from three-point land (46.4 percent) on the night and outscored the Phoenix 32-28 in the paint. Elon fired 79.2 percent (38 of 48) from the free throw line while UNCG connected on 71.9 percent (23 of 32) of its attempts from the charity stripe.
A jumper by Scottie Rice gave the Phoenix the lead for good at 105-104 with 1:56 to play in the decisive overtime period, igniting a fatal 9-1 run. A pair of freebies by Matt Nowlin capped the run, putting Elon out of reach at 112-105 with six seconds remaining.
Rice (19 points), Jackson Atoyebi (18 points), Nowlin (17 points) and Gary Marsh (14 points, 10 rebounds) all registered double digits in the scoring department for the Phoenix. Marsh (pictured right), playing in the last home game of his college career, posted his second double-double of the season.
Donnie Taylor (27 points, 11 assists), Jay Joseph (22 points), Ronnie Burrell (19 points), Josh Gross (16 points, 12 rebounds) and Dwon Clifton (10 points) paced the Spartans.
Elon finished its 2003-04 regular season campaign with a 10-3 record at Alumni Gym, including a 6-2 mark against Southern Conference competition. During its five official NCAA Division I seasons, the Phoenix men's basketball team has fashioned an impressive 44-18 slate (.710) at home.
Southern Conference Men’s Basketball Championship
March 3-6, 2004 at the North Charleston Coliseum
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 3 (FIRST ROUND)
Game 1 – (#4 S) Furman vs. (#5 N) Western Carolina, Noon
Game 2 – (#3 N) Elon vs. (#6 S) The Citadel, 30 minutes after Game 1
Game 3 – (#4 N) UNC Greensboro vs. (#5 S) Wofford, 6 p.m.
Game 4 – (#3 S) College of Charleston vs. (#6 N) Appalachian State, 8:30 p.m.
THURSDAY, MARCH 4 (SECOND ROUND)
Game 5 – (#1 N) East Tennessee State vs. Game 1 Winner, Noon
Game 6 – (#2 S) Davidson vs. Game 2 Winner, 30 minutes after Game 5
Game 7 – (#1 S ) Georgia Southern vs. Game 3 Winner, 6 p.m.
Game 8 – (#2 N) Chattanooga vs. Game 4 Winner, 30 minutes after Game 7
FRIDAY, MARCH 5 (SEMI-FINALS)
Game 9 – Game 5 Winner vs. Game 6 Winner, 6 p.m.
Game 10 – Game 7 Winner vs. Game 8 Winner, 8:30 p.m.
SATURDAY, MARCH 6 (FINAL)
Game 11 – Game 9 Winner vs. Game 10 Winner, 1 p.m. — ESPN
— ELON — Game Box Score
