Box Score

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Jack Isenbarger’s game-winning three-pointer clanged off the rim as the horn sounded, ending Elon’s fast and furious comeback and giving the host Samford Bulldogs a 69-67 victory in a Southern Conference thriller from the Pete Hanna Center on Thursday night. Down eight with 1:31 to play, veteran point guard Chris Long drained three straight treys and Elon got some help from the Bulldogs at the free throw line to have a chance at the win.

The win snapped a five-game Samford (11-10, 3-6) losing streak, while Elon (10-11, 4-6) dropped its first game in the last three contests.

“I love coaching this team,” said Elon head coach Matt Matheny. “They are like brothers, like sons, like family. And sometimes you get disappointed with your family. We are not happy with the way we defended in the second half. We allowed open threes and open lay-ups which the Princeton-style offense generates. We didn’t play well enough defensively to win this game.

“In the last minute and a half, we were like champions to put us in a position to win. Jack had a great look and I can live with that shot. That shot goes down and it covers the mistakes we made.”

Long netted a game-high 21 points, 18 coming in the second half. The senior added seven assists while committing only one turnover. Junior Drew Spradlin was the only other Elon player in double figures with 10 points. Senior forward Scott Grable racked up nine rebounds as the Phoenix dominated the glass, 42-26.

Samford shot 53 percent from the field, knocking down 12-of-21 (57.1) from downtown. The Bulldogs drained nine second-half triples, including four in a two-minute span down the stretch to take the lead. The Bulldogs had three players in double figures with John Peterson’s 16 points leading the way. The forward was a perfect 6-of-6 from the field, nailing all four attempts from long range.

Trailing the tight contest for much of the game, a deep long ball by Long at the 6:58 mark gave Elon a 53-50 advantage. Elon forced a Bulldog turnover and Lucas Troutman dumped in a bucket to give the Phoenix its biggest advantage of the evening, 55-50. The freshman couldn’t convert the and-one, and Samford grabbed the board and quickly made it a three-point game on a Jeffrey Merritt layup.

The Merritt bucket started a 16-3 Bulldog run over the next four minutes and Samford began to pull away, 66-58, with 1:31 to play. The Long-led Phoenix was not about to go down without a fight.

After a Bulldog turnover at 1:15, Long used only nine seconds before he drained the first of three consecutive baskets from beyond the arc to make it a 66-61 game. The teams traded turnovers before a Troutman rebound gave Elon the ball with 41 ticks remaining.

Long pulled it again and Elon was within two, 66-64, with 28 seconds to go. After an Elon foul, Samford’s Josh Bedwell calmly sank two free throws to give the home team a 68-64 lead with 18 seconds on the clock. Six seconds later, though, Long made it 68-67 with his sixth three-pointer of the evening.

Samford’s Gaby Bermudez went to the stripe for two shots, making the first and missing the second. Troutman grabbed the board and sent a pass to Long who drove into the lane before passing to an open Isenbarger on the left wing. The final shot would not go down for the rookie as Elon dropped its third straight on the road.

Elon struggled from the field in the first 20 minutes, specifically from beyond the three-point line. Seventeen of Elon’s 25 shot attempts were from downtown, but Elon only managed five triples. Despite a 36 percent shooting performance and eight first-half turnovers, the Phoenix managed to be within four, 29-25, at the break.
 
The Phoenix will look to rebound when it travels to McKenzie Arena to take on the division-leading Chattanooga Mocs on Saturday, January 29 for a 6 p.m. tip.