| Elon Phoenix (14-12, 6-7 CAA) at UNCW (8-18, 5-9 CAA) |
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ELON, N.C. – Elon University men's basketball returns to action after an extended break on Thursday night, Feb. 15, with a road to UNCW. The game begins a three-game road swing for the Phoenix and will tip off at 7 p.m. inside Trask Coliseum.
COVERAGE
Watch the game through CAA.TV, which will be broadcasted on the Seahawk Digital Network. You can listen to the Elon IMG Sports Network broadcast of the game on WSJS 104.5 FM and 1200 AM as
Taylor Durham and Brian Morris will call the action with the pregame show starting at 6:30 p.m.
THE SERIES
• Thursday marks the 19th all-time meeting between Elon and UNCW. The Seahawks have won seven of the last nine meetings and have an 10-8 lead in the series. UNCW is 9-2 against the Phoenix in Elon's Division I era.
• UNCW defeated the Phoenix earlier this season on Jan. 11, 2018, with an 80-78 overtime win inside Alumni Gym.
• The Phoenix and Seahawks split the regular season series in 2016-17, with Elon won the the most recent matchup 77-76 on Feb. 11, 2017 inside Alumni Gym. It was Elon's first win against UNCW since Feb. 28, 2015, as the Phoenix defeated the Seahawks 74- 55 on Senior Day inside Alumni Gym. Elon is 2-1 against UNCW in Alumni Gym since the Phoenix joined the CAA in 2014-15.
• UNCW won the first matchup last season inside Trask Coliseum with a 79-63 win on Jan. 2, 2017.
A LOOK AT ELON
• The Phoenix has a 14-12 record overall and owns a 6-7 mark in CAA play after falling to Hofstra 67-48 on Thursday, Feb. 8, inside Alumni Gym. Elon is currently 6th in the CAA Standings.
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Tyler Seibring was named CAA Co-Player of the Week on Feb. 5 and has been solid in his first 12 conference games, averaging 18.8 points and 7.4 rebounds. He is also shooting 56% from the floor and 52.1% from deep.
• Seibring and Thompson each scored their 1,000th career point on Jan. 7 in a win at Hofstra. Swoope became the 42nd player in program history to reach 1,000 points on Feb. 3 against Delaware.
• Elon is scoring 74.8 ppg and allowing 74.4 ppg thus far through 26 games. The team has only been held to under 70 points 7 times and under 60 points just 3 times this season.
• Offensively, Elon ranks 2nd in the CAA averaging 10.7 made three-pointers. Elon also is 2nd in the league averaging with 16.2 assists per contest.
• The Phoenix is improving defensively, allowing teams to shoot 42.8% from the floor which ranks 3rd overall in the CAA. Elon's 44.1% field goal percentage defense in CAA games ranks 2nd in the league. Elon is also 1st in the league in defensive rebounds, averaging 28.4 per game.
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Tyler Seibring is currently Elon's leading scorer at 15.3 ppg. Seibring is also 11th in the league averaging a team-best 6.6 rpg and is 4th in the CAA with a 44.9% 3-point field goal percentage.
Dainan Swoope is 4th in the CAA with 3.8 apg.
• Eberhardt is tied for the 2nd-best assist/turnover ratio in the CAA with a 2.4 ratio with 78 assists to 33 turnovers.
• Elon completed its non-conference schedule with eight or more wins for the 4th straight year.
• The Phoenix returned all five starters and its top five scorers from a team that finished 18-14 overall and placed tied for fourth in the CAA with a 10-8 mark in 2016-17.
• Four of the five starters averaged double-figure scoring last season, led by 2016-17 All-CAA Second Team forward
Tyler Seibring, who averaged a team-high 14.4 ppg.
• Dawkins, Thompson,
Jack Anton,
Jack George and
Collin Luther make up this year's senior class.
• Elon also made three additions in freshman guard Nathan Priddy and forwards
Simon Wright and
Duje Radja.
CAA PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Tyler Seibring was named CAA Co-Player of the Week on Feb. 5 after averaging 26.0 points and 8.0 rebounds in Elon's 1-1 week. The Normal, Ill. native shot 67.9% (19-28) from the floor, 88.9% (8-9) from 3-point range and was a perfect 6-of-6 at the free throw line. Seibring shared the weekly honor with Joe Chealey of College of Charleston.
IT'S ALL ABOUT BALANCE
• All five of Elon's starters are averaging doubles figures through 26 games this season. Seibring leads the way with 15.3 ppg, while Swoope is second averaging 13.4 ppg.
• Rounding out the top five scorers are
Brian Dawkins (12.0),
Dmitri Thompson (11.8 ppg) and
Steven Santa Ana (10.2 ppg).
• Elon has had 7 different players finish in double figures this season and 6 have led their team in scoring during games.
• The Phoenix has had at least three players finish in double-figures in 21 games this season. The only 5 times this season that the Phoenix has had less in a game was two against Radford (11/22), at UNCG (12/7) and at Northeastern (1/5) and one at Canisius (12/17) and vs. Hofstra (2/8).
JOINING THE 1,000-POINT CLUB
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Dmitri Thompson and
Tyler Seibring each joined the 1,000-point club on Sunday, Jan. 7, at Hofstra.
Dainan Swoope is the 3rd player this season to join the club after doing so on Feb. 3 against Delaware.
• Seibring was the first to join, becoming the 40th player overall and the 11th junior to reach the mark.
• Thompson followed becoming the 41st player in 109 seasons of Elon basketball to reach 1,000 career points.
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Dainan Swoope became the 42nd player overall, the 12th junior, and third player this season to join the club.
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Brian Dawkins is the next closest with 908 career points and needs 92 to join the club.
COMING UP BIG IN LEAGUE PLAY
• After averaging 11.9 points and 5.8 rebounds during non-conference play,
Tyler Seibring has increased his averages to 18.6 points, which ranks 6th in the CAA, and 7.5 rebounds in league games.
• Seibring is 3rd in the CAA with 39-made three-pointers and is 3rd the league in three-point field goal percentage (48.1%) in CAA contests.
• The Phoenix continues to improve defensively in league play, holding teams to 44.1% shooting from the field in CAA games, which ranks 2nd in the league.
SWOOPE THERE IT IS
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Dainan Swoope has shown improvement on the scoring end his junior campaign, averaging 13.4 ppg this season in comparison to his 11.7 ppg last season. Swoope has scored in double figures 18 times thus far and has a team-high 8 games of 20+ points.
• Swoope is also 4th in the CAA in assists averaging 3.8 dimes per game this season.
• The junior finished the non-conference portion of the schedule averaging 14.7 ppg and shot 85.1% from the free throw line.
• Before suffering an ankle injury in the second half at UNCG, Swoope was averaging 17.1 ppg in the first nine contests.
• He had 20+ points in four straight games from Nov. 17-22 and averaged 23.8 ppg during that span.
PROVIDING A SPARK
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Sheldon Eberhardt has made an impact off the bench, scoring in double-figures four times this season for the Phoenix. The last time he scored in double figures was when he chipped in 13 points on Jan. 25 at Drexel.
• He posted a career-high 10 assists in Elon's victory over Saint Peter's, which was the first time an Elon player had 10 or more assists in a game since
Chris Long had 10 on Feb. 19, 2011 against UNCG.
• Eberhardt is currently averaging 5.6 points and is 2nd on the team with 3.2 assists per contest. He also has one of the highest shooting percentages on the team at 47.8%.
LET IT FLY
• The Phoenix is 2nd in the CAA and 11th in the NCAA with 10.7 three-pointers made per game.
• Elon's 279 total three-pointers this season ranks 1st in the CAA and 11th in the NCAA.
• The maroon and gold also ranks first in the league with 773 three-point attempts, which ranks 8th nationally.
383 AND COUNTING
• The Elon program has made at least one three-point field goal in 383 consecutive games (not including exhibition games). The matchup on Feb. 4, 2017 at College of Charleston marked the 350th consective game.
• The last time Elon did not make a three in a game was Jan. 30, 2006, at Georgia Southern when the team went 0-of-14
from deep.
FINAL SEASON OF ALUMNI GYM
• The 2017-18 season marks the 67th and final year of competition inside historic Alumni Gym as the program is set to relocate to the Schar Center for the 2018-19 campaign. The arena opened its doors in 1950.
HOME COURT ADVANTAGE
• Elon has a 8-3 record overall record at home and has three sellouts this year in its final season inside Alumni Gym.
• Since the 2011-12 season, Elon has a 67-30 record (31-8 vs. non-conference teams) inside Alumni Gym. Elon has sold out Alumni Gym 21 times under head coach
Matt Matheny, with its most recent sellout coming on Jan. 11, 2018. Matheny is 15-8 all-time in front of sellout crowds in Alumni Gym.
SCOUTING UNCW
• The Seahawks enter the contest with an 8-18 overall record and 5-9 mark in CAA games after falling to James Madison 61-60 on Tuesday night. Despite the Seahawks' overall record, UNCW has played well at home this season with a 7-4 record at Trask Coliseum.
• Prior to Thursday, UNCW came off one of its best performances of the season beating Hofstra 90-70 at Trask Coliseum. Devontae Cacok's 25 points and 16 rebounds spurred the Seahawks, who limited the Pride to 31.3 percent shooting in the second half. He shared CAA Player-of-the-Week honors on Monday with Charleston sophomore guard Grant Riller.
• Cacok is one of 21 players the NCAA Division I ranks to average a double-double in scoring and rebounding. He is collecting 17.4 points per game and remains the nation's leading rebounder at 13.2 rebounds each time on the court. He is shooting 57.1 percent from the floor and has snared a CAA-best 111 offensive rebounds to his credit.
UP NEXT
The Phoenix heads north for its second road game of the week with a trip to Delaware on Saturday, Feb. 17, at 7 p.m. at the Bob Carpenter Center. The game will be aired regionally on NBC Sports Philadelphia.
-- ELON --
