ELON, N.C. – Elon University men's basketball returns home on Saturday, Jan. 15, for a 4 p.m. matchup with Towson at Schar Center.
 
COVERAGE
- Listen to the Elon Sports Network from Learfield's coverage on The Varsity Network app.
- Longtime voice of the Phoenix, Taylor Durham, will be on the call with coverage beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET with the Carter and Smith Group Countdown to tipoff.
- Elon's game against Towson will be streamed live on FloSports.
- Live Stats are available and can be found by visiting https://elonstats.com.
 
THE MATCHUP
- Saturday afternoon marks the 15^th meeting between Elon and Towson.
- The Phoenix currently trails in the all-time series 8-6.
- In the most recent meeting between the two programs, Elon defeated Towson, 69-48, in a dominant performance in the opening round of the 2021 CAA Tournament on Saturday, March 6. The Phoenix never trailed and led by as much as 25 in the contest.
- Hunter McIntosh led the way for Elon, posting 13 points, three rebounds and three assists in just under 30 minutes of action. Darius Burford added 11 points and three rebounds on 4-of-6 shooting from the field, while Michael Graham and Hunter Woods combined for 13 points and 11 rebounds in the win.

SCOUTING ELON
- Former CAA All-Rookie honoree Darius Burford is currently leading the team in scoring (12.9 ppg), assists (3.1 apg) and steals (1.7 spg), while being third on the team in rebounding (3.9 rpg). Burford has scored in double figures 10 times this season and has nabbed at least two steals in seven games this year. His 20.7 ppg scoring averaging in conference play also ranks third in the CAA.
- Junior guard and Preseason All-CAA First Team honoree Hunter McIntosh, ranks second the team in scoring at 11.6 points per game, adding 2.6 assists per contest as well. McIntosh has scored in double figures in 42 career games, including nine times this season. He currently ranks ninth in the conference in scoring at 15.3 ppg through three CAA contests this year.
- Torrence Watson is third on the team in scoring 9.7 points per game, adding 2.9 rebounds per contest as well. Watson has gotten to the charity stripe a team-high 56 times this season, knocking down 47 of his attempts for an 83.9 free throw percentage.
- Junior forward Zac Ervin is fourth on the team in scoring, averaging 8.9 points per game, adding 3.6 rebounds per contest. Ervin has knocked down 32 threes while shooting at a 39.0 percent clip from long distance so far this season.
- Junior forward Hunter Woods is chipping in 7.3 points and 5.0 rebounds in 25.7 minutes through 15 games this season. Woods is also currently second on the team in steals this season with 22 total.
- Sophomore center Michael Graham ranks fifth on the team in scoring (8.1 ppg), while leading the team in rebounding at 6.1 rpg. Graham has scored at least 10 points in three straight games and has registered two double-doubles this season.
- Senior forward Chuck Hannah is averaging 5.3 points and 3.3 rebounds in 21.1 minutes per game since returning from injury against High Point.
- Freshman center Sam Sherry has gotten his Elon career off to a solid start, averaging 2.4 points and 1.0 rebounds in just under eight minutes of action per game.
- Elon currently ranks in the top-2 in the CAA in three-point field goal percentage (36.4 – 2nd), total threes made (151 – 2nd) and threes made per game (9.4 – 2nd).
- The Phoenix moved to 4-2 at Schar Center and 1-0 in CAA play this season with a win over Northeastern. The game marked the first time since the 2017-18 season that the Phoenix opened conference play with a win.
- Elon set a program record for points at Schar Center (107), threes made (20) and assists (27) in its home opener against Randolph.
- Seniors Chuck Hannah and Kris Wooten will serve as the team captains for the 2021-22 season.
- This season marks the third for Head Coach Mike Schrage at the helm of the Elon program.
 
SCOUTING TOWSON
- Towson enters the contest with an 11-5 overall record and 2-1 record in CAA play after defeating Hofstra, 78-66, in its most recent contest. Jason Gibson led the Tigers in the contest, dropping 26 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals. Cameron Holden added 11 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, while Nicolas Timberlake chipped in 12 points and four rebounds.
- Pat Skerry is in the midst of his 11^th season at the helm of the Towson program. Skerry spent one season as an assistant coach at Pittsburgh prior to leading the Tigers program.
- The Tigers are led by Cameron Holden who leads the team in scoring at 13.9 ppg and rebounding at 9.3 rpg. Towson has also gotten contributions from Nicolas Timberlake (13.6 ppg and 4.6 rpg) and Terry Nolan Jr. (11.4 ppg and 4.0 apg) early on this season.
 
LAST TIME OUT
- Elon fell to UNCW, 73-66, on Wednesday, Jan. 12, at Trask Coliseum.
- Darius Burford led the charge for the Phoenix, matching a season-high with 23 points on 10-of-13 shooting, while grabbing four rebounds and dishing four assists in 26 minutes of action. The effort marked a team-leading tenth double-digit scoring outing for the sophomore this year. Burford has upped his scoring average to 20.7 ppg through three CAA games this season.
- Hunter Woods added 14 points, seven rebounds and two assists while shooting 4-of-6 from three-point range. His four made threes tonight set a new season-high for the junior and helped push him to his seventh 10+ point game this season and the 29^th overall in his career.
- Michael Graham finished with 12 points, five boards and three blocks in his 23 minutes on the court. Graham continued his strong start to conference play in the contest, as the sophomore is now averaging 11.7 ppg, 5.7 rpg and 2.7 bpg so far in CAA play. Tonight also marked the fifth time in six games that Graham has had at least 10 points and four rebounds.
- Chuck Hannah ended the night with six points and one rebounds after going 2-2 from the field and 2-2 from the charity stripe in 17 minutes.
- Kris Wooten and Torrence Watson combined for seven points and seven rebounds off the bench.
- Elon held advantages in points in the paint (28-26) and bench points (13-11).
 
THE FACES OF 2021-22
- Elon returns four starters in Chuck Hannah, Hunter Woods, All-CAA Second Team honoree Hunter McIntosh and CAA All-Rookie selection Darius Burford.
- Other returnees for the Phoenix includes seniors Jerald Gillens-Butler, Kris Wooten and Charlie Mendys, juniors Ben Daugherty and Zac Ervin, and sophomores Michael Graham and JaDun Michael.
-Additionally, the maroon and gold welcomes five newcomers to the squad in Mizzou transfer Torrence Watson, Mississippi State transfer Andrew Junkin and freshmen RJ Noord, Sam Sherry and Reece Clark.
 
CAA PRESEASON POLL
- The Colonial Athletic Association announced its preseason poll on Thursday, Oct. 28, with Elon tabbed to finish sixth.
- The Phoenix had two student-athletes earn preseason all-conference honors in Hunter McIntosh (1st Team) and Jerald Gillens-Butler (Honorable Mention).
- Elon earned a total of 202 points in the poll, including one first-place vote.
- Delaware was chosen as the preseason favorite with 296 points and 19 first-place votes, followed by Northeastern with 246 points and seven first-place votes. Drexel (234 points; five first-place votes), James Madison (224 points, three first-place votes) and Hofstra (211 points; one first-place vote) rounded out the top five.
 
COMING SOON
- The Phoenix returns home on Jan. 15, when it hosts Towson at Schar Center at 4 p.m.
- Elon will then welcome JMU to Schar Center for a 4 p.m. matchup with the Dukes on Jan. 17.
- Following two home games, Elon hits the road again for matchups with Drexel (Jan. 20) and Delaware (Jan. 22) respectively.