ELON, N.C. – The Elon University men's basketball team begins its season-long five-game road trip with a visit to Presbyterian College on Thursday, Dec. 15. The Phoenix and the Blue Hose are slated for a 12 p.m. tipoff at the Templeton Center.
 
HOW TO FOLLOW
• Thursday's game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
• Listen to the Elon Sports Network from Learfield on The Varsity Network app.
• Longtime voice of the Phoenix, Taylor Durham, will be on the call with the pregame show beginning at 11:30 a.m.
• Links for the broadcast and live stats can be found on the Elon men's basketball schedule page at elonphoenix.com.
• Other in-game updates will be provided on Twitter by following @ElonMBasketball.
 
THE MATCHUP
• Elon and Presbyterian will meet for the 41^st time on Thursday, but for the first time during the Phoenix's Division I era (since 1999-2000). The maroon and gold will play at Presbyterian for the 12^th known time in the series on Thursday.
• Elon holds a narrow 21-19 series advantage, but Presbyterian holds a 10-1 record in its known games played on its home floor. The Blue Hose have won the last 12 meetings over the maroon and gold overall.
• The last win in the series for Elon came on Feb. 8, 1992, in a 78-73 victory at Alumni Gym.
 
LAST TIME OUT
• The Phoenix closed out its two-game homestand and its 2022 calendar year home schedule with a 101-69 victory over Johnson & Wales (N.C.) on Sunday afternoon, Dec. 11.
• Sam Sherry scored a career-high 24 points to lead the Phoenix (2-8) while freshman Max Mackinnon added 23 points as he was one point shy of tying his career-high. Zac Ervin put in a new season-high 19 points on 6-of-11 shooting from downtown while Sean Halloran added a double-double with 11 points and a career-high 11 assists.
• Elon scored its 101 points on a season-best 58.7 percent shooting (37-of-63), including 14-of-27 from three-point range, which is also a season-best. The Phoenix shot 63.3 percent in the opening period, its best first-half outing since shooting 62.1 percent versus Northeastern last December.
• Halloran's 11 assists tied the program's Division I record along with Marcus Sheffield from 2019 and Chris Long from 2009. Elon had 26 assists as a team, the third-best highest Division I performance in school history and one shy of tying the program record at the D-I era.
• Elon last scored 100-plus points in its 107-62 victory over Randolph College last season.
 
SCOUTING ELON
• Halloran is the Phoenix's leading scorer at 13.2 points per game on 45.5 percent shooting from the field. The Orlando, Fla., native has scored (132) or assisted (52) on nearly 26 percent of Elon's total points this season (184 of 695).
• Ervin's 19 points off the bench helped the Phoenix win the 35-9 bench-scoring margin against Johnson & Wales. The senior also tied his career-high with four assists against the Wildcats. In his past two games off the pine, the Gate City, Va., native is averaging 18.5 points per game while hitting 52 percent of his shots (12-of-23) including nearly knocking down 59 percent from three (10-of-17).
• Sherry surpassed his previous personal-best point total of 19 after going 8-of-11 from the floor and 8-of-9 from the charity stripe on Sunday. Since being promoted to the starting lineup six games ago, the Mechanicsburg, Pa., native is averaging 12.5 points while pulling down 6.0 boards per game.
• Likewise, Mackinnon has also stepped up his play since joining the starting lineup in the past six games. The Brisbane, Australia, native is averaging 12.3 points per game along with 6.0 rebounds per contest. His 5.1 rebounds per game average is the best on the team as he is one of two freshmen in the CAA to lead their team in rebounding.
• Halloran currently ranks second in the CAA in assists per game (5.2) and third in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.7).
 
SCOUTING PRESBYTERIAN
• Presbyterian (2-9) enters Thursday's game with losses in each of its last three games, including a 68-57 setback in its last outing at intrastate foe South Carolina on Sunday. The Blue Hose's last win came against VMI on Nov. 29 in a 72-57 win.
• Presbyterian is 2-1 on its home floor this season with victories over VMI and Carolina University, 76-42, in its season-opener on Nov. 7.
• As a team, the Blue Hose are averaging 61.6 points per game while hitting 41.3 percent of their shots. Two players are averaging double figures in fifth-year forward Winston Hill (10.6 ppg) and junior Crosby James (10.3 ppg). James has knocked down a team-high 16 three-pointers while shooting 32 percent from deep.
• Quinton Ferrell is in his fourth season as the head coach of his alma mater, Presbyterian College. Ferrell, a former Blue Hose team captain and a 2007 PC graduate, is one of 52 coaches in the NCAA Division I ranks that are coaching their alma maters.  
 
TICKETS ON SALE
• Season tickets are now on sale for $170 for men's basketball.
• Single-game tickets are now on sale! Single-game tickets begin at $15 for men's basketball.
• Fans are able to purchase a book of 10 ticket vouchers for $75. These vouchers are redeemable for a ticket to any Elon men's or women's basketball regular season home game. Use all 10 for any one game, or use one voucher for 10 different games. Fans will also receive an Elon mini autographed basketball from the head coaches. These tickets represent a 50 percent savings for men's basketball tickets and a 25 percent savings for women's basketball vs. single-game prices.
• Ticket vouchers must be redeemed for a reserved seat ticket prior to entry. This can be done at the Schar Center Box Office during regular business hours (M-F, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.) or starting 90 minutes prior to tipoff.
• For more information, visit ElonTickets.com or call the Elon Ticket Office at 336-278-6750.
 
LAUNCHING THE BILLY TAYLOR ERA
• Billy Taylor was named the 19^th head coach of the Phoenix on April 15, 2022. Taylor arrived to the Phoenix after spending the past three seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Iowa.
• Prior to working with the Hawkeyes, Taylor spent five years as head coach at Lehigh University followed by six seasons as the head coach at Ball State University and three at Belmont Abbey College.
• In his time at Iowa, the Hawkeyes ranked as one of the top offensive teams in the country, ranking fifth nationally in scoring average in both 2021 (83.7) and 2022 (83.2). The program also led the country in assist-to-turnover ratio in both seasons.
• Taylor was a two-time Patriot League Coach of the Year (2003, 2004) and led Lehigh to both the regular season and tournament titles in 2004, earning a bid to the NCAA Tournament that season. He also guided Ball State to the 2009 MAC West Division crown.
 
OPENING TIP
• Elon welcomes back seven letterwinners from last year's team including five upperclassmen. Among the notable returners for the maroon and gold includes graduate student Torrence Watson and senior Zac Ervin. Both players are the leading returning scorers for Elon at 9.2 and 7.1 points per game, respectively.
• The Phoenix also welcomes back redshirt Jerald Gillens-Butler, who hopes to return to form after being named an All-Colonial Athletic Association honorable mention prior to last year. The Orlando, Fla., native appeared in only 10 games last year after missing most of the prior season due to an injury.
• A pair of graduate transfers will look to make an immediate impact for the Phoenix this season. Sean Halloran arrives to the Phoenix after an outstanding four-year career at Belmont Abbey. The Orlando, Fla., native finished as the all-time career assist leader with the Crusaders while helping the program to back-to-back Conference Carolinas Tournament Championships and three straight NCAA tournament appearances. He rounded out his career averaging 14.4 points per game as a senior and concluded his career with 1,422 points.
• Another graduate transfer, John Bowen III, brings size to the Phoenix front line at 6-foot-9 and 215 pounds. The Bladenboro, N.C., native last played at UNCW in 2019-20 and appeared in 28 out of 32 games. Prior to UNCW, Bowen III was a teammate of Halloran's at Belmont Abbey and averaged 8.9 points per game and 5.5 rebounds per contest in 2018-19 while starting 27 of 28 games.
• A pair of freshmen will also look to make an impact for the maroon and gold in 2022-23. Max Mackinnon is a 6-foot-5 swingman from Brisbane, Australia, where he won back-to-back gold medals with the U20 Australian National Team. He was also named an All-Star 5 at the Australian National Championship.
• Another freshman, LA Pratt, is a 6-foot-5 guard from Columbus, Ohio, who was a three-time All-4A Team member and three-time conference champion at Lincoln Park High School. He scored over 1,000 points in high school and helped guide the program to two WPIAL Championship appearances and two State Semifinal appearances.
 
UP NEXT
The Phoenix heads to the state of Indiana to face Valparaiso on Sunday, Dec. 18. That game is set for a 2 p.m. start and will air on ESPN+.