Box Score
Box Score

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Aiesha Harper came off the bench and delivered the knockout blow for Elon University women’s basketball team on Monday afternoon, Jan. 10, lifting the Phoenix to a 74-61 win over the 15-time Southern Conference champion Chattanooga Lady Mocs in league action from the McKenzie Arena.

Harper came off the bench in the second half and reeled off eight straight points to give the Phoenix a commanding lead, one it would not relinquish down the stretch. Harper finished with 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the field and 3-of-5 shooting from the free throw line in 15 minutes of action. Harper also registered a pair of blocks and three boards in the victory.

“I had confidence in our game plan and everything we put forth today,” Harper said. “We all had a lot of energy inside of us and I just wanted to come out and play as hard as I possibly could today. Chattanooga is a very versatile team and this was a good momentum starter for us going forward into this upcoming weekend.”

Elon improves to 9-5 overall and 4-2 in league play, while UTC drops to 7-9 (4-3 SoCon) with the loss. The victory is Elon’s fourth straight in conference action and first over the Lady Mocs in Chattanooga in eight tries.

“I’m very proud of this team and they’re really buying into playing for each other. It’s been a great couple of days against two good teams and everyone keeps stepping up,” said Elon head coach Karen Barefoot. “Aiesha Harper was our unsung hero off the bench today and really finished the game for us. I can’t say enough about the energy our bench brought today and throughout the weekend.”

Elon dominated the Lady Mocs on the glass, 48-26, and outscored Chattannoga 38-24 in the paint.

The Phoenix shot well from the free throw line, sinking 19-of-26 attempts (73.1 percent), while the Lady Mocs made just 5-of-8 from the line in the loss.

Sophomore forward Kelsey Evans recorded her fourth double-double of the season, scoring 12 points and grabbing a game-high 10 rebounds. Evans shot 4-of-9 from the field and 4-of-6 from the charity stripe in the win.

Junior guard Shon Redmond led Elon with a team-high 17 points of 5-of-7 shooting from the field and a 6-for-6 performance from the free throw line. Redmond also tallied five steals, four rebounds and two assists in the win.

Sophomore guard Ali Ford scored in double figures for the 32nd time in Elon’s  last 33 games after finishing with 11 points. Ford also grabbed five boards and dished out four assists.

“Our team is playing tough and passionate basketball right now and I am so excited about the way they played today,” Barefoot added. “We played 40 minutes of pressure defense and it was really fun to watch.”

Evans helped end an early 12-0 run by the Lady Mocs with under 13 minutes to play in the first half after  Redmond found her under the basket for the layup to make it a 15-6 game.
 
Elon limited the deficit to four with 6:59 to play after Redmond ripped UTC’s Kayla Christopher of the ball and dished it ahead to Ford for the layup to make it a 17-13 game. Julie Taylor pulled the Phoenix even closer with less than five minutes remaining after connecting from beyond the arc to make it a 21-18 game.

Elon’s hands-on defense paid dividends going into the locker room at the half, as Redmond ripped Chattanooga’s Christopher near mid-court with less than 10 seconds left on the clock for the easy layup, limiting the Lady Mocs to a 30-28 lead at intermission. Redmond tallied five points and five steals in the opening frame, as the Phoenix shot 44.4 percent from the field.

“[Shon] loves getting after the ball and that’s why she’s near the top of the Southern Conference in steals,” Barefoot said. She did a great job of anticipating the play they were going to run coming out of the timeout and read it perfectly.”

Ford attacked the rim early in the second frame and made it a tie game about a minute into the half after sinking a pair of free throws to tie the game at 30-all. The Morganton, N.C. native scored Elon’s next three points to put the Phoenix up, 35-33, for the first time since the 17:56 mark of the first half. 

Redmond helped the Phoenix take a four-point lead after hitting back-to-back shots to make it a 42-38 game with less than 14 minutes to play in the second half.

Harper came off the bench midway through the second half and provided a host of problems for the Lady Mocs, scoring eight consecutive points to give the Phoenix a 54-45 advantage with less than 10 minutes to play in the game.

Taylor helped Elon take a 10-point lead with under six minutes to play after connecting on a jumper in the paint to extend the Phoenix’s lead to 58-48.

The Lady Mocs managed to pull within five points with under two minutes to play, but a stingy defense effort and key free throws down the stretch proved to be the difference, as Elon left the McKenzie Arena victorious for the first time in eight tries. 

Elon returns home for a game on Friday night, Jan. 14, to take on Furman. Tip is set for 7 p.m. inside Alumni Gym.