Box Score
Box Score

BLACKSBURG, Va. – A late 14-7 run over the final 2:51 of the game proved to be too much for the Elon University women’s basketball team to overcome on Thursday night, Nov. 18, as the Virginia Tech Hokies came back from 10-points down in the second half to top the Phoenix, 73-66, at Cassell Coliseum.

Sophomore guard Ali Ford led all players with 22 points in the loss, while Lei Lei Hairston finished with 11 points and 11 boards for her first-career double-double.

Following her MVP performance at the Phoenix Classic, sophomore forward Kelsey Evans put up another stellar game for Elon, scoring nine points and grabbing a game-high 13 rebounds and recording a game-high five blocks. Evans has recorded 10 blocks over the last two games.

“We played so hard tonight and I am extremely proud of our team’s effort,” said Elon head coach Karen Barefoot. “We really dictated the pace of the game for all 40 minutes and our press was very effective all night long. But Virginia Tech is a good team and managed to go on a late run to win it."

Elon managed to make it a 11-10 game with 11:59 remaining in the first half on an Evans jumper in the paint, but Virginia Tech went on a 9-2 run over the next four-plus minutes to take a 20-12 lead with 7:10 left.

Hairston helped the Phoenix cut the deficit to three with 4:09 remaining, as her three-pointer from the top of the key made it a 25-23 game. Hairston split a pair of free throws with 3:31 left to make it a one-point game, 25-24.

Elon claimed its first lead of the game 1:38 left in the half after a Ford three-ball gave the Phoenix a 29-28 advantage.

The Phoenix led, 33-30, at intermission after a Kelsey Harris three in the corner helped Elon go into the locker room with momentum.

Despite shooting 33.3 percent from the field in the opening frame, the Phoenix dominated the Hokies on the boards, out-rebounding Virginia Tech, 30-15, including a 13-4 edge on the offensive glass. Hairston grabbed a game-high nine at the half, while Ford led all scorers with 12 points.

The Elon offense kept its foot on the gas to open the second half, as the Phoenix went on a 8-1 run in the first 2:10 of the final frame to claim its largest lead of the game, 41-31, forcing a Virginia Tech timeout.

The Hokies cut the deficit to two points with 10:12 left after a Shanel Harrison layup and made free throw, but the Phoenix scored on back-to-back shots from Ford and Gause to take a 54-48 lead and force a VT timeout.

Virginia Tech tied the game at 54-all with 6:28 remaining after a Nikki Davis jumper connected, forcing Elon to regroup and call a timeout.

The Hokies took the lead for the first time since the 1:13 mark in first half with just under six minutes remaining after a pair of Aerial Wilson makes from the charity stripe gave VT a 56-55 advantage.

Tiara Gause helped Elon climb back in the game with 2:51 left, as her two made free throws made it a 59-all game.

But the Hokies managed to close out the Phoenix down the stretch after going on a 14-7 run to narrowly escape with the win.

Elon returns to action on Sunday, Nov. 21, for a 2 p.m. contest with Coastal Carolina at Alumni Gym.