NEWARK, Del.– Elon University men's basketball's comeback attempt fell just short, 80-77, against Delaware on Saturday, Jan. 22.
 
THE RUNDOWN
- Delaware came out of the gates strong, going on a 9-2 run to open the game. The Blue Hens pushed their lead to 17-8 before Zac Ervin's first three of the game sparked a quick 7-0 run for the Phoenix. Back-to-back layups by Torrence Watson and Darius Burford culminated the early spurt that brought Elon back within two (17-15).
- From there, Delaware went on a 19-5 run to extend their advantage to 36-20 with 4:42 remaining in the first half. After another three for Watson cut the Phoenix deficit to 13, the Blue Hens responded with five quick points to take their largest lead of the game at 41-23.
- The Phoenix answered with a late rally of their own to end the half. Burford was the catalyst for the spurt, finishing a tough layup over a Delaware defender and knocking down a fast break triple following two made free throws from Watson. Hunter McIntosh capped the run with his jumper in the paint that brought Elon back within nine. Despite the late rally, an and-one for Delaware gave them a 44-32 lead heading into the break.
- With Elon trailing 50-32 early in the second half, Watson drained his first three of the half to ignite an 8-0 Phoenix run. After Burford's layup with 16:51 remaining cut the deficit to 50-37, Chuck Hannah's lone triple of the game brought Elon back within 10.
- Michael Graham took over from there, scoring the Phoenix's next nine points to keep the score within 61-49 with just over 11 minutes remaining. Moments later, McIntosh followed that up with his only three of the day to bring Elon back within single digits.
- Elon continued to battle back, using a 15-5 run to cut the Delaware lead down to three with just over 10 seconds remaining in the contest. The Phoenix made 10 free throws during the stretch, while also getting a thunderous dunk from Graham on an assist from Burford with 2:48 to go. Watson's fourth and final three of the day capped the late rally for Elon.
- The Blue Hens made two free throws with six seconds remaining to secure the win, 80-77.
 
NOTES
- Torrence Watson led the charge for the Phoenix, dropping 20 points, four rebounds and three steals, while shooting at a 6-of-11 mark from the field. The performance marked Watson's seventh double-figure scoring outing this season, and his first since posting a career-best 34 points against High Point on Dec. 4, 2021.
- Michael Graham came through with another strong afternoon, finishing with a new career-high 19 points, adding 11 rebounds and a block in his 31 minutes of action. It marked the fourth double-double of the season for Graham and his second in a row. Through seven CAA outings this season, Graham is averaging 12.7 points, eight rebounds and two blocks per game.
- Darius Burford chipped in 18 points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals in 32 minutes. Burford has now had at least two steals in nine games this season and has a scored at least 10 points a team-high 12 times.
- Hunter McIntosh and Chuck Hannah combined for 14 points, six assists and three rebounds in the loss.  
- Elon scored 36 points in the paint, 23 points off the bench and 13 points off turnovers.  
 
UP NEXT
Elon will be back in action on Thursday, Jan. 27, when it hosts William & Mary at Schar Center. That contest is slated for a 7 p.m. tip and will be streamed live on FloSports.