WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – Elon University men's basketball's comeback bid fell just short to William & Mary, 65-61, on Saturday, Jan. 29, in Williamsburg, Va.
 
THE RUNDOWN
- William & Mary came out of the gates strong, jumping out to an early 19-4 lead in the opening nine minutes of the contest. Darius Burford's layup at the 10:07 mark gave the Phoenix some momentum offensively and brought the score to 19-6. After a three gave William & Mary its largest lead of the first half, four quick free throws from Burford and Hunter Woods cut the deficit back to 12 with 6:33 left before the break.
- With Elon trailing 25-10 with just over six minutes remaining until halftime, back-to-back triples from Hunter McIntosh ignited a 9-2 run. Zac Ervin's layup at the 4:37 mark cut the Tribe's lead down to nine before a free throw from Burford capped a spurt that brought the score to 27-19. Despite the late rally, William & Mary entered the break leading 33-22.
- After the Tribe extended its lead to 37-22 early in the second half, an 18-9 Elon burst brought the Phoenix back within six with just under ten minutes to play. Chuck Hannah got things rolling for Elon on the run with his layup at the 16:58 mark. Burford followed that up with a strong finish at the rim before Hannah drained a floater to bring the score to 37-28. The two sides traded scores for the next few possessions before back-to-back threes by Ervin cut the deficit to 46-40 with 9:15 remaining in the game.
- The Phoenix continued to chip away at the deficit down the stretch, using a 21-11 run to cut the Tribe's lead down to two late in the contest. McIntosh and Burford keyed the spurt for Elon, each scoring eight points for a combined 16 of the Phoenix's final 21 points. With Elon trailing 63-56 with less than a minute remaining, Ervin knocked down a rainbow three to bring the score to 63-59. Following a turnover by William & Mary, Burford found Graham wide open under the basket for an easy dunk. The play cut Elon's deficit to 63-61 with 13 seconds on the clock.
- William & Mary made two late free throws to secure the 65-61 win.
 
NOTES
- Darius Burford led the charge for Elon, finishing with 20 points and four rebounds, while adding career-highs in assists (8) and steals (4). The performance marked the team-leading 13^th double-figure scoring outing for Burford and the 20^th overall in his career. Burford's four steals tonight is the 10^th time the sophomore has had at least two steals in a game this season.
- Hunter McIntosh chipped in 14 points, three rebounds and three assists in 38 minutes. McIntosh has now scored at least 10 points in 13 games this season and in 47 games in his career. McIntosh's four made triples marked the seventh time this season the junior has made at least four threes.
- Zac Ervin rounded out the double-figure scoring for the Phoenix, ending the night with 13 points and two rebounds on 5-of-10 shooting from the field. Ervin also made three triples in what was his seventh double-digit scoring effort this season and the 15^th overall in his career.
- Michael Graham led the team with 11 rebounds, while also contributing six points, three blocks and two steals in 24 minutes. Graham has snagged at least 11 boards in each of his last four games for an average of 12.75 rebounds per outing.
- Chuck Hannah finished the night with six points and six rebounds, while Hunter Woods logged two points and five rebounds in the loss.
- Elon scored 28 points in the paint, 13 second chance points and 19 points off the bench. 
 
UP NEXT
Elon returns to action on Thursday, Feb. 3, when it hosts UNCW at Schar Center. That contest is slated for a 7 p.m. tip and will be streamed live on FloSports.