STOCKTON, Calif. – Elon University men's basketball was unable to overcome UC Riverside's strong second-half, falling 77-64 to the Highlanders in its second game of the Tiger Thanksgiving Classic, hosted by the University of the Pacific, on Friday, Nov. 23, at the Alex G. Spanos Center.
 
Elon (2-3) had three players score in double figures. Tyler Seibring and Steven Santa Ana each posted a team-best 13 points apiece, while Federico Poser tallied 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting. Karolis Kundrotas and Santa Ana each has a team-best six rebounds and Nathan Priddy chipped in a career-high nine points off the bench.
 
UC Riverside (2-4) also had three players score in double digits, led by Jordan Gilliam's game-high 17 points. Additionally, Dragan Elkaz and Ajani Kennedy each tallied 11 points for the Highlanders. Gilliam, Kennedy and Dikymbe Martin each had a team-best six rebounds to help UC Riverside gain the 36-28 advantage on the glass.
 
HIGHLIGHTS
The Highlanders took an early 11-2 lead in the first seven minutes of the game, but the Phoenix battled back using a 20-9 run to take a 22-20 lead run after Seibring drained a three-pointer at the 6:39 mark.
 
After Elon held a 24-22 lead, UC Riverside answered and took back the lead after a three-point play by Callum Mcrae. Although the Highlanders got out to a 29-24 with 1:51 remaining in the half, the Phoenix used a 6-1 run over the final minutes and Eberhardt's driving layup tied the game at 30-30 heading into the break.
 
In the second half, UC Riverside got off to a quick start and jumped out to as much as a eight-point advantage, 54-46, at the 7:12 mark. The Highlanders then extended its lead to as much as 67-52 with just over three minutes remaining. Elon made an attempt to battle back into the contest, but couldn't overcome the double-digit deficit and the Highlanders took the 77-64 victory.
 
The Phoenix was held to just 11.1 percent from three in the second half after making 37.8 percent in the first half. UC Riverside outscored Elon by 13 in the last 40 minutes to earn the win. The Phoenix allowed the Highlanders to shoot 51 percent from the floor in the game, including 43 percent from three.
 
NOTES
- Tyler Seibring now has 1,345 career points and moves up to 17th all-time. He is 36 points behind Thomas Moore '76 who is in 16th.
- With his 13 points against UC Riverside, Seibring extends his double-digit scoring streak to 25 games.
- Steven Santa Ana is now at 974 career points after scoring 13 against UC Riverside. He is 26 away from becoming the 43rd player in program history to reach 1,000 career points.
- Federico Poser tallied his first double-digit scoring effort for the Phoenix with 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting.
- Nathan Priddy chipped in a career-high nine points for the Phoenix.
 
UP NEXT
The Phoenix closes out the Tiger Thanksgiving Classic tomorrow night at 11 p.m. eastern time against the host Pacific. Elon will then return home on Tuesday, Nov. 27, to face off against Central Penn at 7 p.m. inside Schar Center.