Asheville, N.C. – The ETSU men's basketball team jumped out to an early lead and held off numerous Elon rallies, defeating the Phoenix 77-64 Friday night in the opening round of the Asheville Championship. ETSU improves to 2-0 with win and Elon falls to 1-1.
UNCW transfer John Bowen III tied his career-high with 17 points for Elon.
Zac Ervin added 11 points.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- John Bowen III scored Elon's first four points, but ETSU built an early 14-4 lead behind a pair of three-pointers.
- Elon used an 8-point spurt midway through the first half to claw back into the contest. Trailing 22-11, Max Mackinnon kickstarted the run with a fastbreak three-pointer and JaDun Michael closed the run with a fadeaway jumper to make it 22-19.
- Bowen III had dunks on back-to-back possessions later in the half that brought Elon within two at 29-27.
- The Buccaneers were able to push the lead back to eight by the half, closing the period on a 10-4 run. Bowen III posted his fourth dunk of the opening half late to keep Elon within striking distance.
- JaDun Michael opened the second half scoring with a jumper that brough Elon within six but ETSU scored 11 of the next 13 points to lead 50-35.
- Elon, though, would not go away. Zac Ervin connected on a pair of three-pointers during a 10-2 run that closed the deficit to seven points at 52-45.
- The Phoenix could never get closer than seven as ETSU closed out the game for the 13-points victory.
STATS AND NOTES
- John Bowen III tied his career-high with 17 points. He also scored 17 while playing for Belmont Abbey in game against Barton on March 9, 2019.
- Bowen III was also 8-of-9 from the field and is shooting 90 percent from the floor through the first two games of the 2022 campaign.
- Elon struggled from the three-point line, making just 5-of-28 attempts. The Phoenix, though, made 20-of-29 from inside the three-point arc.
- ETSU had a 33-28 edge on the boards but both teams had six offensive rebounds. Max Mackinnon led Elon with five rebounds off the bench.
- Sean Halloran had eight points, six assists, four rebounds and four steals.
- Both teams has 12 turnovers in the contest.
- ETSU's bench outscored Elon's 25-15 and the Buccaneers had a 14-8 advantage on fastbreak points.
- ETSU improved to 4-1 in the all-time series against Elon.
UP NEXT
- Elon will play Harvard (1-1) in the third-place game of the Asheville Championship Sunday. The game is set for a 2 p.m. tip-off and will be televised nationally on ESPNU.
- Following the conclusion of the Asheville Championship, Elon will return home to host North Dakota Thursday at 7 p.m.
-- ELON --
