Box Score
Box Score

ELON, N.C. – The Elon University women’s basketball team clinched its first winning season since the 2003-04 season on Saturday afternoon, Feb. 12, as the Phoenix topped the Wofford Terriers 73-60 inside Alumni Gym to improve to 16-9 (10-6 Southern Conference) on the year.

The victory also marks head coach Karen Barefoot’s 11th winning season in 13 years as a head coach, as the Phoenix equaled its win total from the previous two seasons combined with the victory over Wofford (7-16, 3-12 SoCon). With the win, the Phoenix also improves to 10-0 this season when it scores 70 or more points.

“I’m proud of the way we played today and these girls have really put in the hard work to get this program back on track,” Barefoot said. “It has been a very long time since this program has had a winning season and it means a lot to us and it makes me feel good for our players and for the Elon community. We played well at both ends of the floor against a tough and physical Wofford team and today was a win we needed moving forward.”

Ali Ford recorded her ninth game this season with 20 or more points, as the Morganton, N.C. native registered a game-high 20 points on 7-of-16 shooting from the field, including two makes from beyond the arc. Ford has now tallied 926 career points in only her second season.

Rookie Kelsey Harris had a career day for the Phoenix, scoring 12 points on just one field goal attempt after sinking 10-of-12 shots from the free throw line. Harris also dished out five assists and grabbed five boards, while tallying four steals.

Elon committed just 13 turnovers in the victory, while forcing the Terriers into 25 as a team. The Phoenix scored 19 points off 25 Wofford miscues and tallied 22 second-chance points in the win. The Elon bench outscored its counterparts, 25-19, as Julie Taylor and Candice Silas led the Phoenix reserves with nine and eight points, respectively.

Elon shot 44.9 percent from the field and 75 percent (21-of-28) from the free throw line in the victory.

Elon went into the locker room at intermission ahead just one point, 31-30, as the Terriers shot a blistering 50 percent from the field on 12-of-24 field goal attempts and held an 18-11 edge on the glass.

But the Phoenix capitalized on Wofford miscues early and often in the second half, taking a seven-point advantage with 14:22 left to play after a Kelly Blake turnover led to a Harris steal and easy basket for Silas to give Elon a 45-38 lead.

The Terriers never came any closer than four points from that point forward, as the Phoenix went up by as many as 14 points in the second half to secure the victory.

With only four regular season games remaining, the Phoenix now shuffles off to Greenville, S.C. on Monday night, Feb. 14, for its fourth game in seven days when it faces Furman. Tip is set for 7 p.m. inside Timmons Arena.