Box Score

BOONE, N.C. – Despite a double-double performance by senior guard Chris Long, the Elon men’s basketball team could not overcome a late push by preseason Southern Conference North Division favorite Appalachian State, as the Mountaineers pulled out a 79-71 victory over the Phoenix in league action from the Holmes Center on Monday night.

Holding a slight three-point edge with 11:43 remaining in the game, ASU (8-9, 4-3) used a 17-6 run that spanned nearly seven minutes to reach its biggest lead of the game, 70-56. Elon managed to claw back within six, but the Mountaineers made good on their free throw attempts to avoid dropping their third consecutive SoCon game. App State shot a sizzling 52.8 percent from the field, including 61.5 percent in the final 20 minutes, en route to the victory. The field goal percentage was the highest by a SoCon opponent against the Phoenix this year.

“This is a disappointing loss for us,” stated Elon head coach Matt Matheny. “I didn’t feel like we started well, and although we did fight to get back in the game, we had lapses that could have put the game out of reach. This team wants to win, though, they want to get better and they continue to fight back. I told them after the game that we are good enough to win this game, but we didn’t play well enough to win this game.”

Long tallied his second career double-double for the Phoenix (8-10, 2-5) as the Charleston, W. Va., native scored 15 points and contributed a season-high 10 assists to move him into a tie for second place on the school’s all-time assist list with 433 helpers.

Junior guard Drew Spradlin netted 14 points, scoring in double figures for the seventh consecutive contest. He also grabbed a team-high five rebounds. Rookie Jack Isenbarger knocked in 14 points, 11 of which came in the first half, and classmate Lucas Troutman added a personal-best 13 points in 18 minutes. App’s Omar Carter shot a blazing 10-of-15 from the field for 22 points and Andre Williamson notched a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds.

Elon struggled out of the gate, scoring only two baskets in the first eight minutes of action as the home team jumped out to a 16-6 advantage with 12:41 on the clock. Isenbarger ended the Phoenix drought, draining one of his three first-half triples to make it 16-9.

ASU scored on its next two trips down the floor to gain its biggest advantage of the half, 20-9, but Elon would score 10 unanswered points capped by a Troutman tip-in to make it a one-point game and force a Mountaineer timeout with 8:34 to go.

In the game of runs, Appalachian came out of the timeout and dropped in six quick points to go back on top, 26-19. Eight straight Isenbarger points helped Elon trim the lead to two, 31-29, with 2:06 to play before the break. The Phoenix held ASU without a field goal for the final 4:20 of the half, but the Mountaineers connected on six free throws to hold a 37-34 lead heading into the locker room.

Elon held the SoCon’s second-leading scorer Donald Sims without a point in the first half. The Phoenix, who has been averaging over 26 free throws per game in the last six contests, got to the line only three times in the first half. ASU converted 11-of-12 freebies in the opening 20 minutes of action.

Appalachian began the final period with a 7-2 stretch to extend its lead to 45-36 with barely three minutes gone by. Elon answered with a 14-8 run of its own that included treys by Sebastian Koch and Long to pull within three, 53-50. A Jeremi Booth long ball jumpstarted the Mountaineer run and Sims caught fire, scoring eight of his 12 points during the 17-6 ASU streak.

After an even rebounding performance in the first half, App finished the game with a 43-33 lead on the glass. The Mountaineers also attempted 25 free throws compared to only 12 by the Phoenix.

Elon returns to Alumni Gym after a three-game road swing to host the Davidson Wildcats on Thursday, January 20. Last year’s contest between the Phoenix and Wildcats in Elon featured two overtime periods with the ‘Cats scratching out the 99-96 victory. Tip is set for 7 p.m. on Thursday night.