Box Score
Box Score

ELON, N.C. – In its final contest before Thanksgiving, the Elon University women’s basketball team overcame an early deficit to register an 80-55 victory over the visiting Lady Cobras from Virginia Intermont on Tuesday night, Nov. 23, at Alumni Gym.

Elon (4-1) is off to its best start since the 1997-98 team began the season with a 5-1 record. The 1995-96 team began the season with a 6-0 mark.

“Virginia Intermont was a very physical team and didn’t make anything easy for us all night long,” said Elon head coach Karen Barefoot. “I’m happy with the way our team responded in the second half and it’s good to go into league play on a high note.”

Sophomore guard Ali Ford tied a game-high with 17 points on 6-of-15 shooting from the field, while grabbing a career-high six rebounds.

Junior guard Shon Redmond had a stellar game for the Phoenix, as her eight steals in the win tie for the fourth most in a single game in Elon women’s basketball history. The last Phoenix player to register eight steals in a game was Tiffany Davis on Jan. 24, 2007. Redmond also dished out six assists for Elon.
 
Sophomore forward Kelsey Evans recorded her second straight double-double in the victory, going a perfect 10-of-10 at the free throw line and finishing with 16 points, while also grabbing a game-high 12 boards.

The Phoenix forced 36 turnovers in the win and limited Virginia Intermont (5-3) to 32.7 shooting from the field.

Elon found itself in a battle with the Lady Cobras in the first half, as Virginia Intermont’s Megan Fanney knocked down a pair of free throws with 8:37 remaining after a Phoenix timeout to take a 21-19 lead.

But the Phoenix clawed back to take a 10-point lead (39-29) into the locker room at intermission after going on a 20-5 run over the final 7:26 of the half.

Turnovers plagued both squads in the opening frame, as the Lady Cobras committed 19 to the Phoenix’s 15. Virginia Intermont’s Teonika Webb led all scorers with 11 points on 4-of-9 shooting from the field, including a 3-of-5 performance from beyond the arc. Webb tied for a game-high with 17 points.

Elon opened its lead to 15 points with 16:22 remaining, as a cross-court pass from Ford to Tiara Gause following a Lady Cobra miss led to an easy layup and a 47-32 lead.

The Phoenix would go up by 21 points early in the second half after a Julie Taylor jumper and made free throw gave Elon a 59-38 advantage with 11:47 remaining in the game.

Elon managed to keep a double-digit lead for the remainder of the game, moving its record to 4-1 going into league play next week.

The Phoenix opens up Southern Conference action on Monday night, Nov. 29, with a trip to Boone, N.C. to face Appalachian State at 7 p.m. at the Holmes Center.