Box Score

GREENVILLE, N.C. – A late rally by the Elon women’s basketball team fell just short on Saturday night, Nov. 26, at Minges Coliseum, as the Phoenix dropped a 69-65 heartbreaker to the Robert Morris Colonials on the first day of the East Carolina Thanksgiving Tournament.
 
With the ball and trailing, 67-65, with less than 20 seconds remaining, the Phoenix had a chance to tie or take the lead. But an Ali Ford three-point attempt with 17 seconds remaining just missed and landed in the hands of RMU’s Kelly Hartwell.
 
After Elon (2-2) was forced to foul on the ensuing possession, Robert Morris’ Brianica Tye all but sealed the win for the Colonials after sinking a pair of free throws with 10 seconds remaining to put the Phoenix behind, 69-65.
 
The Phoenix could not get a shot off on the next possession with the clock winding down, as Robert Morris (4-1) managed to escape with the victory.
 
“We did not get defensive stops when we needed to tonight and there were times where we missed easy buckets when we really needed them,” said Elon head coach Charlotte Smith. “Overall, there were just several missed opportunities tonight and we didn’t capitalize on our free throws. Moving forward, we'll need to do a better job on all phases of our game tomorrow.”
 
Three Phoenix players scored in double figures in the setback, led by Ford’s 17 points. Rookie Sam Coffer ended the night with 13 points and eight boards in her first collegiate start, while Aiesha Harper chipped in 10 points.
 
Playing without two of its top post players in Kelsey Evans and Candice Silas, the Phoenix finished the game tied with RMU in rebounds at 41-apiece, which included 19 rebounds on offense. But the Colonials finished the night with a 32-28 advantage in points in the paint.
 
Elon struggled from the free throw line, going 12-of-22 for a 57-percent clip, while shooting 37 percent from the field.
 
The Colonials took their largest lead of the game with 6:54 to play in the first half after a Hartwell baseline layup made it a 28-19 game, forcing a Phoenix timeout.
 
Ford helped tie the game at 29-all with 3:52 remaining in the opening frame after knocking down a three-pointer from the top of the key to complete an 8-1 run for the Phoenix.
 
Lei Lei Hairston gave Elon a one-point lead with 2:15 on the clock after completing an old-fashioned three-point play to put the maroon and gold ahead, 32-31.
 
The Phoenix trailed the Colonials by two points, 39-37, at intermission, despite forcing RMU into 15 turnovers in the first 20 minutes.
 
The Phoenix held a 22-17 advantage on the glass in the first half, including 12 boards on the offensive end. Elon shot at a 42-percent clip (13-of-31) from the field in the opening frame, including 3-of-10 from beyond the arc.
 
The Colonials claimed a five-point lead with 11:47 left in the second half after Artemis Spanou split a pair of free throws to put Elon behind, 56-51. Spanou led all players with 20 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field, including a 3-of-7 mark from three-point land.
 
But the Phoenix battled back and forced the Colonials to call a timeout after Ford split a pair of defenders in the lane for a layup to make it a three-point game, 58-55, with 9:55 remaining in the second half. Seconds later, Ford knocked down three free throws to tie the game for the ninth time of the night at 58-all with 9:29 to play.
 
After the Colonials went back ahead by five points in the final two minutes, the Phoenix battled back to pull within two with 1:38 left on a Hairston jumper in the paint and a Harper layup with 58 seconds remaining. But Elon could not get over the hump, going without a basket from that point forward.
 
The Phoenix wraps up the tournament tomorrow when it takes on host ECU at 4:30 p.m.