ELON, N.C. – Elon University men's basketball fell to Towson, 72-61, on Thursday, Jan. 23.
 
The Phoenix was led by freshman forward Hunter Woods, who dropped 15 points, nine rebounds and two steals on the evening. Senior guard Marcus Sheffield chipped in 15 points and three rebounds, while freshman forward Zac Ervin added 14 points, three rebounds and four made threes in the loss.
 
Towson was led by Brian Fobbs, who recorded 20 points, three rebounds and two assists in the contest.
 
HIGHLIGHTS
Elon came out of the gates firing early in the first half, jumping out to an 11-5 lead just over five minutes into the game. With the game knotted up at 3-3, Marcus Sheffield knocked down a mid-range jumper to spark an 8-2 Phoenix run. Moments later, Zac Ervin drained his first triple of the night, which Sheffield followed up with a trey of his own that gave Elon a six-point advantage.
                   
Trailing by seven late in the first half, two Marcus Sheffield free throws followed by a Zac Ervin three sparked a 9-0 Phoenix run. Chuck Hannah and Hunter Woods each knocked down a pair of shots from the line to give the Phoenix a two-point lead at the break.
 
Elon entered the half leading 28-26.


Both sides traded baskets through the first ten minutes of the second half, with Towson taking a 44-40 lead at the midway point. From there, back-to-back baskets by Hunter Woods helped the Phoenix regain the lead at 46-44. Shortly after, Zac Ervin drained another three to cap a 9-0 Elon run and put the team on top 49-44 with just under eight minutes to play.
 
After Elon cut the deficit down to five with just under two minutes left in the contest, Towson went on a 6-0 run of its own to secure a 72-61 victory.

NOTES
- The Phoenix shot 29.7 percent from the floor, including a 25.7% clip from beyond the arc
- Elon held a 19-7 advantage in points off turnovers and a 21-8 advantage in 2^nd chance points
- The Phoenix grabbed a season-high 19 offensive rebounds in the contest
 

UP NEXT
Elon will be back in action on Saturday, Jan. 25, to continue CAA play against JMU. That matchup is slated for 4 p.m. at Schar Center and will be streamed live on FloSports.