ELON, N.C. – The Elon University women’s basketball team wrapped up one of the most successful seasons in program history in mid-March, as the Phoenix met and exceeded expectations during the 2010-11 season.
Predicted to finish eighth in the Southern Conference preseason poll, Elon spent several weeks of the season atop the league standings, finishing the year fourth in the conference standings. Elon’s No. 4 seed in the 2011 SoCon Tournament was its best since joining the league eight seasons ago, as the Phoenix earned a first-round bye and an automatic trip to the quarterfinals. But reaching the second round of the tournament was not good enough for head coach Karen Barefoot and the Phoenix, as the team went on to top fifth-seeded Furman, 69-62, to advance to the semifinals.
Despite seeing its season come to an end with a setback to top-seeded Appalachian State in the semifinals, the Phoenix received an invitation to the program’s first postseason appearance at the Division I level. Elon earned a bid to the 2011 Women’s Basketball Invitational, earning a No. 3 seed and a first-round home matchup against sixth-seeded USC Upstate. The Phoenix did not disappoint against the Spartans, reaching the century mark for the first time of the season in a 103-72 victory. The win marked Elon’s 20th of the season, setting the single-season team record for victories in the Division I era. The Phoenix would eventually fall in the WBI quarterfinals to second-seeded and eventual tournament champion UAB, putting an end to one of the most exciting seasons in school history.
As a team, Elon’s seven-game winning streak, which began with a Jan. 3 win against Georgia Southern and continued through an overtime win on Jan. 22 against College of Charleston, was the team’s longest winning streak since the 2002-03 season. Elon’s eight-game SoCon winning streak from Dec. 20 to Jan. 22 marked the longest conference winning streak since the program became officially affiliated with an athletic conference in 1975-76. The team’s 33 contests played in 2010-11 tie the 1980-81 squad for the most games played in school history.
The Phoenix enjoyed a plethora of success inside Alumni Gym this past season, as its 11 home wins mark the most since joining the Division I ranks. The maroon and gold averaged 72.4 points per game in 17 home games this past season, outscoring opponents by just under 10 points per game. Elon’s Pink Zone game on Feb. 19 against Samford drew a record-number 1,071 fans. The program recorded its highest average attendance in program history this past season as well, averaging 501 fans per game.
On Jan. 16 at Wofford, Barefoot recorded her 200th career victory, as the Phoenix topped the Terriers, 64-47. Barefoot led the Phoenix to a 12-8 mark in league play this past season, doubling the team’s SoCon win total from last year. Elon’s 20 overall wins in 2010-11 are three more then the previous two seasons combined. In all, this past year was Barefoot’s 11th winning season in 13 as a head coach.
Individually, sophomore guard Ali Ford continued to etch her name in the Elon record books, as the Morganton, N.C. native became only the third sophomore in program history to reach the 1,000-point milestone. Putting herself alongside Elon Hall of Famer Venessa Corbett and women’s hoops standout Nuggie Dixon, Ford scored her 1,000th point against Furman on March 5 in the SoCon Tournament after netting a game-high 25 points to lead Elon to victory. Ford ended her second year at Elon with a total of 1,044 career points after scoring a career-high 35 against USC Upstate and 19 against UAB in the WBI. A preseason all-league selection, Ford was named a second-team All-SoCon selection by the media and an all-conference honoree by the league’s head coaches. She was also named to the SoCon All-Tournament team and was an all-state selection for her efforts. Ford finished the year ranked second all-time in Elon history with 173 three-point field goals and second all-time with 538 three-point field goal attempts.
A second-team all-conference selection by the media and the SoCon Player of the Week on Feb. 1, sophomore forward Kelsey Evans continued to progress as one of the most dominant post players in the league this past season. Evans led the SoCon in rebounding at 9.2 per game in 2010-11, recording a league-best 11 double-doubles. Through two seasons, Evans has totaled 629 points and 528 rebounds and is on pace to become only the third player in school history to record 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. Over a three-game stretch against Southern Virginia, Western Carolina and Appalachian State, Evans averaged 15.0 points and 11.3 boards, recording a career-high 24 points at WCU on Jan. 29 and a career-high 16 rebounds against ASU on Jan. 24. Defensively, Evans was a catalyst in Elon ranking in the top-10 in the nation all season in blocked shots, as the Raleigh, N.C. native blocked 70 total shots (2.1 per game) to help Elon lead the SoCon in total blocks with 181 (5.5 per game). Evans ranks third in school history with 125 total blocks after only two seasons.
The future of Elon women’s basketball is promising, as the team returns 11 players next season, while welcoming in a recruiting class ranked No. 71 in the nation. The team returns 87 percent of its scoring going into next season, including its top six scorers in Ford, Evans, Lei Lei Hairston, Shon Redmond, Aiesha Harper and Kelsey Harris. On the boards, the Phoenix returns its leading rebounder in Evans, as well as Hairston, Lisa Archie and Candice Silas. Erica Keto, #Jermile’ Batten and Arayael Brandner# all return for the Phoenix next season, providing a wealth of experience and depth at nearly every position.
-- ELON --
