ELON, N.C. – Elon University men's basketball fell to No. 5 North Carolina 75-61 in Chapel Hill, on Wednesday, Nov. 20.
 
The Phoenix was led by senior guard Marcus Sheffield II who poured in 19 points, grabbing four rebounds and dishing out three assists. This marked the fifth consecutive game that Sheffield has scored in double figures.
 
Elon also got major contributions from freshman forward Hunter Woods, who chipped in 18 points and three assists while also leading the team in rebounds with seven. The 18 points marked a new career-high for Woods.
 
UNC was led by forward Armando Bacot, who recorded game-highs in points (22) and rebounds (14).
 
HIGHLIGHTS
Elon came out of the gates firing early in the first half. A Federico Poser layup on the game's opening possession followed by a Simon Wright triple sparked an early 11-4 run by the Phoenix. Hunter Woods hit back-to-back threes on the run to give Elon a seven-point advantage within the opening three minutes.
 
From that point, UNC cut the lead down to three with just under 15 minutes to play in the opening half. With the score sitting at 14-11 Elon, Sheffield hit a tough turnaround jumper plus the foul to ignite a quick 6-0 Phoenix run. Zac Ervin's deep three with 14:06 remaining in the half gave Elon its largest lead of the night at 20-11.
 
With both sides trading baskets over the next few minutes, a Hunter Woods steal and lead pass led to a thunderous Sheffield dunk over a UNC defender. The slam put Elon on top 22-16 with 12:25 until the half.
 
After a quick UNC run, both teams battled for the lead for the final eight minutes of the first half. Elon entered the break leading 33-32 over the No. 5 ranked team in the nation.
 
The Tar Heels returned from halftime and went on an early run to take a 15-point lead with just under 13 minutes remaining in the game. With the Phoenix trailing by 14 at the 10-minute mark, two Woods free throws and a Poser bucket brought Elon back within 10.
 
With 5:53 left to play in the contest and Elon trailing by 16, Sheffield knocked down a tough three pointer to spark an 8-0 Phoenix run. During the run, Ervin came up with back-to-back big plays by grabbing an offensive rebound and finishing in the paint, before coming up with a steal that led to a Woods triple. The spurt cut UNC's lead to 8 with 3:35 remaining in the game.

Elon cut the deficit down to as little as seven with just over two minutes to play but UNC eventually pulled out the win 75-61.

NOTES
- With today's loss, Elon fell to 2-3 on the season.
- The Phoenix shot the ball 31.7 percent from the floor, including a 37.5 percent clip from beyond the arc.
- The Phoenix went to the line nine times, making all nine of its attempts from the charity stripe
- Elon forced 10 Tar Heel turnovers, which lead to an 11-9 advantage in points off turnovers
 
UP NEXT
The Phoenix is back in action on Saturday, Nov. 23 for a 4 p.m. matchup with Manhattan at Schar Center. That game will be streamed live on FloSports. Following that game, Elon will remain at home to take on Furman. That matchup is slated to begin at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 26.