ELON, N.C. – Despite holding a 39-31 halftime lead, Elon (11-18, 6-14) was unable to overcome a strong UNC Greensboro (9-19, 6-14) second half as the Phoenix fell 77-71 in Southern Conference women’s basketball action on Saturday afternoon. Elon was outscored 46-32 in the second half as the Spartans shot a blistering 51.9 percent from the field. UNCG also connected on 55.6 percent of its shots from long range.
“I thought we fought and executed the game play well today,” Elon head coach Karen Barefoot said. “UNCG was able to connect on some key shots and grabbed some key rebounds down the stretch. I think that we will go back and learn from this game and hopefully it will help us prepare for tournament play.”
Trailing 39-31 at halftime, UNCG opened the second stanza with a pair of baskets by Lakiah Hyson that cut the lead to four, 39-35. Urysla Cotton took a pass from Ford to the basket that allowed Elon to retake a six-point lead, 41-35, at the 18:24 mark.
Beginning at the 11:10 mark and trailing 50-41, UNCG scored 10 unanswered points that gave the Spartans their first lead of the half, 53-50. During the run, Amanda Leigh netted six of UNCG’s 10 points. Down by four, Kelsey Evans put back an offensive rebound that brought the Phoenix within two, 56-54, with 7:27 remaining. An Elon foul sent Hyson to the line where she drained two shots that extended the Spartan lead to five, 59-54, with 5:47 on the clock.
Three Ali Ford points put Elon back within two, 59-57, until UNCG’s Sarah Folwell hit a big three-pointer with two minutes to play that put the Spartans up 70-64. Elon finished 5-of-6 from the line, but would get no closer than four as UNCG went on to win the game, 77-71.
Elon’s Evans finished with her second double-double in as many games. The freshman finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds and blocked one shot. Ford finished with a team-best 24 points, 17 of which came in the first 20 minutes of play. It was the eighth time that Ford scored at least 20 points at home. She and Evans combined for seven assists.
UNCG’s Leigh netted a game-best 28 points and pulled down 10 rebounds for a double-double. Monique Floyd and Hyson also finished in double figures, scoring 16 and 10 points, respectively. Folwell added eight rebounds and two blocks in the win.
Neither team was able to get its offense going in the opening minutes of the first half, resulting in a 4-4 game heading into the first media timeout at 15:53. Following the break, the Phoenix went on an 8-2 run that put it up 12-6 with 13:46 left in the half. UNCG tied the game three times before it took a 22-21 lead at the 7:53 mark. Back-to-back buckets by Ford sparked a 19-9 run that included a pair of triples by Courtney Medley that ended the half with the Phoenix leading 39-31.
The 10th-seeded Elon will take on the seventh-seeded Wofford Terriers at 1 p.m., on Thursday, March 4 in the first round of the Southern Conference Tournament at the Bojangles' Arena in Charlotte, N.C.
