Box Score
Box Score

ELON, N.C. – A balanced offensive attack and an exceptional effort on the defensive end helped the Elon University women’s basketball team capture its second win of the season on Sunday afternoon, Nov. 14, claiming a 83-52 victory over the Troy Trojans to win the Phoenix Classic.

Elon (2-0) had four players score in double figures, with sophomore forward Kelsey Evans leading the way with a team-best 18 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the field. Evans was named the Phoenix Classic MVP after a pair of stellar performances for the Phoenix. Evans also registered five blocks for Elon and grabbed five rebounds.

Ali Ford and Tiara Gause both earned all-tournament honors for the Phoenix, as Ford finished with 17 points on 6-of-14 shooting, while Gause added 15 points on 6-of-14 shooting.

Freshman guard Kelsey Harris pitched in 10 points for Elon, while sophomore forward Lei Lei Hairston controlled the boards with a team-best 12 rebounds.

Lisa Archie had a solid game off the bench, scoring seven points and blocking four shots in 18 minutes.

“I was really proud of our team’s effort defensively because they really bought into being aggressive throughout the game without fouling,” said Elon head women’s basketball coach Karen Barefoot. “Troy is a very solid team and we were able to force them into 34 turnovers and come out on top over a very physical team.”

Defensively, Elon forced 34 Troy turnovers while committing just 12. The Phoenix out-blocked the Trojans, 10-3, in the victory, while also claiming 16 steals. Junior guard Shon Redmond paved the way with a game-high four steals for the Phoenix.

Elon shot 40 percent from the field in the win, while also shooting 82.4 percent (14-of-17) from the free throw line.

Following a Ford three-ball to give Elon a 10-point lead early on, freshman guard Kelsey Harris hit a pair of free throws to extend the Phoenix’s lead to 12 points, 20-8, with 12:51 remaining in the opening frame.

Elon would go up by as many as 25 in the first half after an Evans layup following an offensive board gave the Phoenix a commanding 43-18 edge with 2:03 remaining.

Elon went into the locker room with a 45-22 lead after shooting 44 percent from the field (18-of-41) in the first 20 minutes and sinking all six free throw attempts. Defensively, Elon held Troy to 30 percent shooting from the field while forcing 16 Trojan turnovers and committing just three. Evans led all scorers with 12 points in the first half.

Ford extended Elon’s lead to 26 points with 15:21 left in the game after pulling up for three on a Phoenix fast break to make it a 55-29 game. Less than a minute later, Ford’s two makes from the free throw line extended Elon’s lead to 57-29.

The Phoenix never look back, going up by as many as 35 points in the second half to open the season 2-0 for the first time since the 2005-06 campaign.

Elon travels for its first road contest of the season on Thursday, Nov. 18, with a trip to Blacksburg, Va. to face the Virginia Tech Hokies at 7 p.m.

Phoenix Classic All-Tournament Team
Becky Peters – Fordham
Destiny Jacobs – Stony Brook
Donette McNair – Troy
Tiara Gause – Elon
Ali Ford – Elon

Most Valuable Player – Kelsey Evans, Elon