ELON, N.C. – Elon University men's basketball defeated Charleston, 66-55, to earn its first CAA win of the season on Sunday, Feb. 14.

"Yesterday was a big step for us and not just because we won," head coach Mike Schrage explained. "We felt like we were the tougher and more together team for 40 minutes versus a class program in our league. I loved our response from Saturday and throughout the game when they made their runs. I am proud of our guys continuing to stay together during a season which has been particularly difficult. We have to keep growing and getting better during these last few weeks."

THE RUNDOWN
- Elon came out of the gates firing, jumping out to an early 13-3 lead. Ikenna Ndugba got things rolling, knocking down a pull-up jumper to put the Phoenix on the board first. Shortly after, Simon Wright drilled a mid-range jumper of his own before Hunter McIntosh extended Elon's lead to 7-3 with his first three-pointer of the game. Back-to-back triples from Wright and freshman Darius Burford respectively put Elon on top by 10 early.
- Both sides traded scores for the remainder of the first half and Elon entered the break leading 30-26.
- After a quick start from Charleston tied the game at 32 early in the second half, a McIntosh bucket sparked an 11-0 Phoenix run to answer the Cougars spurt. Moments later, three straight triples from Burford, Wright and McIntosh respectively extended Elon's lead back to 11.
- With the Phoenix leading by four with just under eight minutes remaining in the game, McIntosh dropped in back-to-back deep threes as part of an 8-0 Elon run. Ndugba capped the burst with a pull-up jumper that gave the Phoenix a 58-46 advantage with less than six minutes to play.
- McIntosh and Ndugba sealed Elon's victory at the line, each knocking down all four of their free throw attempts in the final three minutes of the game.

NOTES
- Hunter McIntosh led the way for the Phoenix, posting 20 points, four rebounds and three assists in a season-high 38 minutes against Charleston.
- Simon Wright added 15 points and four rebounds on 6-of-7 shooting from the field. Wright also knocked down three triples on the day.
- Ikenna Ndugba chipped in 12 points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals in the win.
- Freshmen Darius Burford and Michael Graham combined for 12 points and nine rebounds for the Phoenix.
- Elon held a 33-25 advantage on the glass and a 13-8 advantage in assists.
- The Phoenix led for a total of 38:23 of game time and never trailed in the contest.
 
UP NEXT
Elon returns to action on Thursday, Feb.18, when it hosts William & Mary at Schar Center on Elon's campus. That matchup is slated for a 7 p.m. tipoff and will be streamed live on FloSports.