ELON, N.C. – For the second straight game, the Elon women’s basketball team put together a strong second half but it was not enough as the Phoenix (7-13, 3-9) fell 64-57 to the College of Charleston Cougars (14-6, 9-3) in Southern Conference action on Monday night. The Cougars entered the contest ranked second in the conference. Elon fought back from a 16-point deficit with just over a minute to play to come within five with three ticks on the clock. In the final minute of play, Elon went on a 16-5 tear that included two treys by Ali Ford and a pair of buckets by Julie Taylor.
Charleston held onto a double-digit lead for much of the second half until the late offensive attack by the Phoenix. In the final 20 minutes of action, Elon tallied five three-pointers compared to its lone trey in the first half. The Phoenix outscored the Cougars 40-38 and outrebounded them 21-13 in the second half.
“This team had a lot of fight in it in the second half,” Elon head coach Karen Barefoot said. “To cut the lead to five after being down 16 shows how the team believes in what we are trying to do. Aiesha [Harper] and Courtney [Medley] really stepped up today and did what was needed to get us back into the game.”
Ford led all scorers with 16 points, all of which came in the second half, and dished five assists. Medley netted 14 points and made 2-of-3 from downtown. Urysla Cotton led the team on the glass with 11 rebounds.
Brooke Kotcella led CofC with 14 points and pulled down a game-best 12 rebounds for a double-double performance. Tonia Gerty added 13 points and was one of four Cougars in double figures. Ericka Williams and Jade Hughes added 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Cold shooting plagued both teams in the first half as the teams went a combined 16-for-60 from the field. Despite missing its first eight shots, Charleston opened up to a 19-4 lead with 8:11 on the clock. A foul by the Cougars sent Kallie Hovatter to the line where she sparked an 11-1 Phoenix run that spanned over five minutes and brought the game within five, 20-15, with 2:53 left on the clock. Charleston answered with a 6-2 streak that put it up nine, 26-17, at the half.
For the game, Elon and the College of Charleston combined for 118 shots, including 38 from behind the arc. The teams also combined for 57 shots from the charity stripe. Elon was sent to the line 25 times, while the Cougars attempted 32 free throws. Elon’s bench accounted for 34 points, marking the 18th time this season that it has added at least 20 points.
Elon will step out of conference play on Thursday morning at 11:45 a.m., when it welcomes Southern Virginia to Alumni Gym for the fifth annual Education Day with the Phoenix. Elon is 3-2 in Education Day games and is 1-0 against Southern Virginia after taking last year’s matchup 74-33.
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