Box Score
Box Score

STATESBORO, Ga. – What would have been a buzzer beater from Julie Taylor hit off the back of the rim as time expired in overtime on Monday night, Feb. 7, at Hanner Fieldhouse in Statesboro, as the Elon University women’s basketball team dropped a 71-69 decision to the Georgia Southern Eagles.

Elon falls to 15-8 (9-5 Southern Conference) with the loss, while GSU improves to 11-13 (8-7 SoCon) with the win and remains unbeaten at home in league play (8-0).

“I am so proud of the way we battled and stayed together as a team in such a hostile environment,” said Elon head coach Karen Barefoot. “We stayed positive throughout everything that happened tonight and Julie’s shot rolled in and out at the end, and that’s the way it goes sometimes. We played tough for 45 minutes tonight and definitely progressed as a team.”

Elon erased a 10-point deficit in the second half with an 18-7 run to claim a one-point lead with 11:01 to play. But the Eagles battled tooth-and-nail with the Phoenix at the end of regulation to send the game to overtime tied at 60-all.

The Phoenix jumped out to a four-point advantage, 66-62, on six straight points from Kelsey Evans in OT, but GSU free throws and a Williams three-ball helped give the Eagles a late lead in the extra session.

Taylor had a chance to hit Elon’s second buzzer beater of the season with 2.1 seconds left on the clock, but her three ball from the right wing just past midcourt near the Phoenix bench ricocheted off the back of the rim as time expired, allowing the Eagles to escape with the victory.

Ali Ford scored a game- and season-high 26 points in the setback on 8-of-19 shooting from the field, including a 5-of-12 clip from three-point land. Ford has scored 20 or more points seven times this season and currently sits with 886 career points.

Evans, the reigning SoCon Player of the Week, pitched in 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting to go along with six boards and two blocked shots, while Taylor was the third Phoenix player in double figures with 10 points.

Elon shot 42.6 percent from the field in the loss and limited the Eagles to a 39 percent clip on 23-of-59 shooting. But offensive rebounds by GSU proved to be the difference, as GSU tallied 16 second-chance points on 15 offensive boards.

The Eagles took a seven-point advantage about midway through the first period after a Meredyth Frye jumper off the glass put the Phoenix down, 18-11, with 10:27 left and forced Barefoot to call a 30-second timeout.

Despite a game-high 15 points from Ford in the opening frame, the Phoenix trailed the Eagles, 32-26, at intermission. Ford connected on four triples in the opening frame, going 5-of-14 from the field.

As a team, Elon shot 33.3 percent from the field in the first 20 minutes, totaling 12 points off nine GSU turnovers. But the Eagles claimed a 22-17 edge on the boards, including nine on the offensive end that led to eight second-chance points.

The Eagles ran out of the locker room to take a 10-point lead early in the second half after Jamie Navarro split a pair of free throws with 16:46 remaining in the game to put the Phoenix down, 38-28.

But the Phoenix answered with an 18-7 run to claim a 46-45 lead after rookie Candice Silas forced a GSU turnover at midcourt and took it to the basket for the easy layup, making the Eagles call timeout with 11:01 to play.

After the Phoenix went up three, GSU’s Navarro erupted the Hanna Fieldhouse crowd after her three-ball tied the game at 60-all with 34.3 seconds remaining, leading to an Elon timeout.

Elon could not convert on its final possession of regulation, as the team missed a pair of shots inside with 16.6 seconds remaining and six seconds on the shot clock to give GSU possession with 11.4 seconds left. The Eagles came up short on a three-point attempt on the ensuing possession and the game went into overtime knotted at 60-all.

In the extra session, Evans hit Elon’s first six shots to give the Phoenix a 66-62 advantage with 2:15 left. But key free throws and Williams’ three pointer late proved to be too much to overcome for the Phoenix. 

Elon returns home on Thursday night, Feb. 10, for its White Out contest versus Triad rival UNC Greensboro. Tip is set for 7 p.m. inside Alumni Gym and fans are encouraged to wear white to support the Phoenix.