ELON, N.C. – Elon University men's basketball fell to Drexel, 71-60, on Saturday, Feb. 19, at Schar Center. Prior to the contest, the Phoenix celebrated senior day, as Kris Wooten, Chuck Hannah and Charlie Mendys were each honored for their contributions to the program.
 
THE RUNDOWN
- The game opened as a defensive battle, with neither team break the 10-point mark in the first six minutes. After four points from Drexel gave it an early lead, a transition layup from Darius Burford followed by a put-back score by Andrew Junkin knotted things up at 4-4. Drexel answered with a 5-0 run to take a 9-4 lead with 14:25 remaining in the opening half. The Phoenix continued to battle back, as back-to-back jumpers from Hunter McIntosh and Burford brought Elon back within three (11-8).
- With Elon trailing 17-10 with just over nine minutes to play before halftime, a 7-2 spurt got the Phoenix back in within four. Michael Graham opened the scoring with his layup with 9:03 remaining before five straight points from Burford brought the score to 19-15 with seven minutes remaining.
- The two sides traded scores down the stretch of the first half but a late 6-0 burst by Drexel gave them a 32-21 lead at the break.
- The Dragons opened the second half on an 8-0 run to take a 40-21 lead with 17:37 remaining. Drexel would push its lead to as much as 22 at the 12:53 mark but Elon continued to fight its way back into the game. A McIntosh bucket with 9:40 to play ignited a 16-6 Elon run to bring it back within striking distance. Burford keyed the run, scoring eight of the Phoenix's 16 points, including a personal 5-0 run with 1:48 remaining. The rally brought the score to 64-52 late, but Drexel was able to knock down its free throws down the stretch to secure the win.
 
NOTES
- Darius Burford led the charge for the Phoenix, dropping a career-high 31 points and eight rebounds in 35 minutes. Burford has now scored at least 10 points in 18 games this season, including a team-best six 20 plus point performances.
- Hunter McIntosh chipped in nine points, four rebounds and three assists in a team-high 36 minutes of action.
- Michael Graham logged eight points and six boards while matching a season-high with four blocked shots.
- Charlie Mendys posted a career-high three points after knocking down all three of his attempts from the charity stripe.
- Chuck Hannah grabbed a career-best nine rebounds, adding four points in 28 minutes.
- Elon held advantages in second chance points (16-8) and bench points (36-15).

UP NEXT
Elon returns to action on Thursday, Feb. 24, when it travels to Hempstead, N.Y. for a matchup with Hofstra. That contest is slated for a 7 p.m. tip and will be streamed live on FloSports.