ELON, N.C. – Elon University men's basketball fell to Delaware, 71-62, on Thursday, Feb. 17, at Schar Center.
 
THE RUNDOWN
- The Phoenix came out of the gates hot, jumping out to a 6-1 lead in the opening three minutes. Darius Burford got things going with his pull-up jumper for the first field goal of the game. Following two Hunter McIntosh free throws, Michael Graham scored his first points of the day to put Elon ahead by five early.
- With Elon ahead 10-9 with 9:28 to play until halftime, Delaware used a 7-0 run to take a 16-10 lead. McIntosh halted the Blue Hens spurt with his step-back jumper with just under seven minutes to play. The two sides traded scores down the stretch of the opening half, as Delaware entered the break with a 25-18 advantage.
- After the Blue Hens extended its lead to 34-23 with 16:37 remaining in the contest, a 12-3 Phoenix run brought them back within two. Back-to-back layups by Zac Ervin and McIntosh ignited the burst, before four quick points from Graham and Burford brought the score to 37-31 at the 14:08 mark. Two made free throws from Andrew Junkin and Burford capped the rally and brought the score to 37-35 with 13 minutes to play.
- Elon scored 11 points in the final 1:20 of action, but Delaware was able to hold on for a 71-62 win.
 
NOTES
- Darius Burford led the charge for the Phoenix, dropping 21 points and two rebounds in 31 minutes. Burford has now scored at least 10 points in 17 games this season, including a team-best five 20-point performances. His 21 points tonight were his most since scoring a season-high 27 points against UNCW on Feb. 3.
- Hunter McIntosh chipped in 16 points, three assists, two rebounds and two steals in a team-high 38 minutes of action. Tonight marked the second straight 15+ point outing for the junior and the fifth in his last six games.   
- Michael Graham logged a team-high nine boards, adding nine points and a blocked shot in 26 minutes. Graham has now grabbed at least five rebounds in 19 games this season.
- Andrew Junkin continued his strong play of late, finishing with six points, four rebounds and a season-high matching two blocks. It was the third consecutive game that Junkin has posted at least six points, two rebounds and a blocked shot.
- Zac Ervin added seven points and three rebounds, while Kris Wooten posted three points and a career-high seven boards.
- Elon held advantages in points in the paint (36-22), second chance points (13-4) and bench points (16-15).

UP NEXT
Elon returns to action on Saturday, Feb. 19, when it hosts Drexel on Senior Day at Schar Center. That contest is slated for a 4 p.m. tip and will be streamed live on FloSports.