ELON, N.C. – Looking to close out 2022 on a high note and begin 2023 with a bang, the Elon women's basketball team (4-7) opens CAA play this weekend against conference newcomers North Carolina A&T and Hampton. Friday's game against the Aggies is set for 6 p.m. at Corbett Sports Center in Greensboro, N.C., while Sunday's home game against the Pirates is slated for 2 p.m.
 
COVERAGE
 

• Both games will air on FloSports.
• Fans can also listen to both contests on WSOE 89.3 FM.
• Live stats for Friday's game can be found here.
• Live stats for Sunday's game can be found here.
• Other in-game updates will be provided via the program's Twitter account, @ElonWBasketball.

 
TICKETS ON SALE
 

• The best way to see the women's basketball team this season is by purchasing season tickets for just $40.
• Single-game tickets are also available, beginning at $10.
• For the first time ever, fans can 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 who purchase voucher books will also receive an Elon mini autographed basketball from head coaches Charlotte Smith and Billy Taylor. These tickets represent a 50% savings for men's basketball tickets and a 25% savings for women's basketball versus 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.

 
SERIES HISTORY VS. NORTH CAROLINA A&T, HAMPTON
 

• Elon leads the all-time series with North Carolina A&T 13-8 and has won three of the last four meetings.
• This marks the first meeting between the Phoenix and Aggies since Nov. 22, 2021, when Elon won 76-66 at Schar Center. Ariana Nance led four Phoenix double-digit scorers with 19 points as Charlotte Smith became Elon's all-time wins leader with her 173rd victory.
• The Phoenix is 4-5 in known road games against North Carolina A&T.
• Elon leads the all-time series with Hampton 2-1.
• The Phoenix and Pirates last met on Dec. 2, 2018, when Elon won 77-62 at Hampton. Ariel Colón and Emily Maupin each exploded for 21 points, and Maupin hauled in 15 rebounds for her first career double-double.

 
ELON IN CAA OPENERS
 

• Elon is 5-3 in CAA openers since joining the conference before the 2014-15 season.
• The Phoenix has dropped its last two CAA openers, falling 75-63 to James Madison on Jan. 16, 2021, and 66-54 at Towson on Jan. 7.
• Since winning its first four CAA openers, Elon is 1-3 in its last four.
• The Phoenix is looking to open CAA play with a win for the first time since the 2019-20 season, when it defeated Towson 74-61. Saadia Munford led three double-digit scorers with 20 points.
• Elon hasn't started 2-0 in CAA play since accomplishing the feat in back-to-back seasons in 2015-16 and 2016-17.

 
LAST TIME OUT
 

• The Phoenix is coming off an 0-2 showing at the UCF Christmas Classic, where it fell 72-46 to Loyola Chicago before losing 64-46 to UCF.
• Elon's 46 points in both contests were its fewest this season.
• The Phoenix also posted its two worst shooting performances of the season, shooting 29.4% against the Ramblers and 25.4% against the Knights. The latter marked Elon's lowest shooting percentage since shooting 18% on Jan. 27, 2019, at James Madison.
• Loyola Chicago and UCF each outrebounded the Phoenix, which entered the tournament having won the battle of the boards in seven straight games.
• UCF's 53 rebounds were the most by an Elon opponent since Delaware recorded 59 on Jan. 30.
• Among the positives for the Phoenix, Chloe Williams scored a career-high 11 points against Loyola Chicago. Hannah Dereje set career highs in points (five) and rebounds (five) in that same game, and Kamryn Doty fell just short of her first double-double with seven points and a career-high nine rebounds against UCF.

THAT'S SO RAVEN
 

• After recording her second career double-double against Richmond and her first 30-point game against Davidson, Raven Preston was named the CAA Rookie of the Week on Dec. 19.
• Having also received the award on Nov. 28, Preston joined Drexel's Kylie Lavelle as the only CAA freshmen to earn two Rookie of the Week honors this season. She's the first Phoenix freshman to be recognized twice since Saadia Munford in 2017-18.
• With 10 points and 11 rebounds against the Spiders, Preston became the first Elon freshman to record multiple double-doubles since Shay Burnett had three in 2014-15.
• The Greensboro, N.C., native followed that up by scoring 31 points against the Wildcats, marking the most points by a Phoenix freshman since at least 2004-05.
• Having already scored 22 points against Old Dominion and 26 at NC Central, she became the first freshman to post three 20-point games in the Charlotte Smith era (since 2011-12).
• Preston's three 20-point games account for three of the top four scoring performances by a freshman in Smith's 12-season tenure.
• Preston's 15 rebounds against Old Dominion tied for the third most by a Phoenix player and were the most by a freshman under Smith. They were also the most by a CAA freshman since UNCW's Taylor Webster had 19 against Norfolk State on Nov. 25, 2020.
• With her 22 points and 15 boards against the Monarchs, Preston became the fifth player and the second freshman to post a 20-point, 10-rebound game under Smith. The 20-point, 10-rebound game was the first by a CAA freshman since Towson's Allie Kubek had 20 points and 14 rebounds against Drexel on Feb. 21, 2021.
• Entering Thursday, Preston ranked 15th in the CAA in scoring (13.4 points per game) and seventh in rebounding (7.2 boards per game). Her 48.7% shooting percentage ranked second in the conference and 100th nationally.
• Over her last seven games, Preston is averaging 17 points on 54.2% shooting (45-for-83) and 7.3 rebounds.

 
PRESEASON ACCOLADES
 

• The Phoenix was picked to finish fourth in the CAA Preseason Poll, marking the sixth time in its nine CAA seasons that Elon has ranked fourth or better in the league's preseason balloting.
• Evonna McGill was named to the preseason All-CAA second team, becoming the first Phoenix post player to earn preseason All-CAA honors since Malaya Johnson made the second team in 2017-18.
• McGill, a center from Lowell, N.C., averaged 11.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.0 blocks last season. All three of those figures rank in the top six among CAA returners.
• Her 58.9 field-goal percentage was the third best in program history and is also the seventh highest among returning Division I players who made at least five shots per game and played in 75% of their team's games last season.

 
FRESH FACES
 

• Elon boasts seven newcomers, including six freshmen in Hannah Dereje, Raven Preston, Aly Wadkovsky, Regina Walton, Ruby Willard and Chloe Williams.
• The six-player freshman class matches the Phoenix's largest under Charlotte Smith; Elon's 2017 recruiting class also consisted of six players.
• Graduate transfer Lenaejha Evans also joins the Phoenix after two seasons at Rider. The guard – who averaged 14.0 points en route to third-team All-MAAC honors in 2021-22 – began her career at Kansas City Kansas Community College in 2018-19, then transferred to Pensacola State College for one season before enrolling at Rider.
• Although they aren't new to Elon, redshirt freshmen guards Kamryn Doty and Diamond Monroe are also new to the mix after missing the entire 2021-22 season due to injury. Doty has started each of the Phoenix's first 11 games at point guard.

 
BIG SHOES TO FILL
 

• Elon entered the 2022-23 season looking to fill the void left by Brie Perpignan, who finished her Phoenix career as one of only five players to record 1,100 points and 350 assists, along with Shay Burnett (2014-18), Ali Ford (2009-13), Lisa Briggs (1983-87) and Donna Trollinger (1981-85).
• Perpignan's 359 career assists are the eighth most in Elon history, and her 1,194 points are tied for the 14th most. She also ranks second in career free-throw percentage (min. 250 made) at 80 (335-for-419).
• The point guard was sensational in 2021-22, ranking second in the CAA in assists per game (5.5), third in free-throw percentage (81.1) fifth in points per game (16.6) and fifth in assist/turnover ratio (1.5).
• For her efforts, she was named to the All-CAA second team, becoming just the fourth Phoenix player to make the first or second team and the first since 2017-18.
• Perpignan accounted for 26.6% of Elon's scoring, 36.6% of its free-throw attempts, 39.9% of its free throws and 43.6% of its assists last season.

 
2021-22 REWIND
 

• The Phoenix went 17-12 last season to post its seventh winning season under Charlotte Smith and its first since 2017-18.
• Elon went 9-9 in CAA play to finish tied for fifth in the league. That marked the Phoenix's best finish since placing third in 2017-18.
• Ten of Elon's victories came at Schar Center, its most since moving into the state-of-the-art facility before the 2018-19 season.
• The 2021-22 Phoenix ranked in the top 10 in school history in free-throw percentage (74.2, first), 3-point attempts (563, second), 3-pointers (171, fourth), field-goal percentage (39.9, ninth) and assists per game (12.6, 10th).
• Brie Perpignan led Elon in scoring (16.6 points per game) and assists (5.5 per game), while Kayla Liles paced the team in rebounding (6.2 per game).

 
BONDING ABROAD
 

• As part of Elon's commitment to diversity and global engagement, the women's basketball team spent eight days in Italy in August.
• In addition to experiencing authentic Italian cuisine and seeing historical sites such as the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Colosseum, the Phoenix scrimmaged a pair of local teams.
• For a team that features seven newcomers, the trip proved incredibly valuable. Said head coach Charlotte Smith: "It came at the perfect time. Because we have so many new faces, it allowed us an opportunity to implement some things in our system and to practice and to play some games internationally before they even played a game in the United States."

EDUCATION DAY RETURNS
 

• For the first time in more than a decade, the Phoenix welcomed local elementary school students to campus for a fun-filled Education Day on Dec. 15.
• The game against Richmond marked the first time that Elon held an Education Day since Jan. 27, 2011.
• The program welcomed more than 2,400 elementary school students from 10 Alamance-Burlington School System schools as well as Burlington Christian Academy and The Burlington School. Overall, 3,087 fans attended the game, marking the largest crowd in Elon's Division I era.
• Although the game between the Phoenix and Spiders was at the center of the festivities, the day also served as an opportunity for students to be introduced to the University and learn more about the importance of education and going to college. Different components of the in-game entertainment addressed that.
• Phoenix players also spent much of December visiting ABSS schools and talking about their experiences as collegiate student-athletes.

  
MAKING MOVES
 

• Ahead of their 12th season together at Elon, Charlotte Smith announced the promotion of Josh Wick to associate head coach in September.
• Since arriving with Smith as a member of her coaching staff in 2011, Wick has been integral to the women's basketball program's turnaround. In his 11 seasons at Elon, the Phoenix has posted a winning record seven times, including back-to-back 25-win campaigns in 2016-17 and 2017-18.
• In 2016-17, Wick helped the Phoenix to a record-breaking season that saw it win the CAA regular-season and Tournament titles while reaching the first NCAA Tournament in program history. The Phoenix reached the NCAA Tournament the following season, as well, after winning its second straight CAA Championship.

SCOUTING NORTH CAROLINA A&T
 

• North Carolina A&T is 6-5 and coming off an 86-79 win on Dec. 21 at NC Central. The Aggies' other wins have come against St. Andrews, Mid-Atlantic Christian, South Carolina State, Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Johnson & Wales. Their losses have come against Duke, Miami, Cincinnati, Auburn and East Carolina.
• North Carolina A&T went 14-15 overall and 11-7 in Big South play last season, finishing sixth in the conference.
• The Aggies were picked to finish ninth in the CAA Preseason Poll.
• North Carolina A&T is led by preseason All-CAA second-team selection Jazmin Harris, who entered Thursday ranked seventh in the league in scoring (15.1 points per game) and third in rebounding (8.8 boards per game).
• Maleia Bracone and Jordyn Dorsey also average double-figure points at 14.5 and 11, respectively.

 
SCOUTING HAMPTON
 

• Hampton is 3-7 and coming off a 64-60 loss on Dec. 21 against East Carolina. The Pirates' wins have come against Mid-Atlantic Christian, Delaware State and Saint Peter's. Their other losses have come against Liberty, Richmond, South Carolina, Norfolk State, Rutgers and James Madison.
• Hampton went 13-16 overall and 8-9 in Big South play last season, finishing seventh in the conference.
• The Pirates were picked to finish tied for 10th in the CAA Preseason Poll.
• Camryn Hill leads Hampton and is fourth in the CAA in scoring at 16.6 points per game. She's joined in double figures by preseason All-CAA second-team selection Nylah Young, who ranks 17th in the league in scoring (13.1 points per game) and sixth in rebounding (7.3 boards per game).

 
UP NEXT
 

• Elon will embark on a two-game road trip next weekend. The Phoenix will visit Hofstra at 7 p.m. on Jan. 6 before facing Monmouth at 2 p.m. on Jan. 8.