ELON, N.C. – Four Phoenix scored in doubles figures and the Elon University men's basketball team used 18 3-pointers to defeat Alabama State, 91-74, Dec. 16 at Alumni Gym.
 
Tanner Samson finished with a game-high 22 points on 6-for-9 shooting from 3-point range. Luke Eddy had a season-high 18 points and nine assists, while Christian Hairston and Tyler Seibring chipped in 15 and 12 points, respectively.
 
The Highlights
Samson scored each of Elon's first 12 points on four 3-pointers in the game's first 2:10, and the Phoenix led 14-0 before a Steve Rogers free throw got the Hornets on the scoreboard.
 
Elon (7-3) had a 21-2 lead at the 15:45 mark of the first half after triples by Dainan Swoope and Steven Santa Ana, and Hairston's three-point play with 3:55 left in the first half made it a 20-point game, giving the Phoenix a 43-23 lead.
 
Eight of Elon's 16 first-half baskets were 3-pointers, and the Phoenix led 45-30 at the half on 43.2 percent shooting.
 
An 8-0 run to start the second half made it a 53-30 advantage for the Phoenix, its largest lead of the game.
 
Alabama State (4-5) came within 10 points with 5:27 to play before consecutive triples by Swoope and Dmitri Thompson stretched Elon's lead to 81-65.
 
The Phoenix made 18 3-pointers in the game and finished with a 44.8 percent shooting mark from the field.
 
Corvon Butler paced Alabama State with 18 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.
 
Notes
- Tanner Samson's 22-point performance moved him into 30^th on Elon's all-time scoring list with 1,105 career points. Samson surpassed Chris Matthews (1,084 career points) and Ryley Beaumont (1,093), and trails Sebastian Koch (1,128), who is currently 29^th. 
- Elon's 18 3-pointers against Alabama State set a new season high for the team, surpassing the mark of 15 3-pointers made against Wesley College Dec. 13.
- Elon's victory against Alabama State marked the 99^th win of head coach Matt Matheny's career. He currently sits seventh all-time in wins in program history.
- The Phoenix have now won 12 stright in Alumni Gym during the month of December dating back to the 2012-13 season. Elon's last loss in Alumni Gym in December was on Dec. 1, 2012 against College of Charleston.
- It's the first time Elon has won seven of its first 10 games since the 2011-12 season.
 
Up Next
The Phoenix finishes its three-game homestand Dec. 12 against UNC Greensboro at 1 p.m. Elon then hits the road for games at UNC Asheville (Dec. 21) and Duke (Dec. 28).