ELON, N.C. – Elon University men's basketball returns to action on Thursday, Feb. 24, when it travels to Hempstead, N.Y. for a 7 p.m. matchup with Hofstra.
 
COVERAGE
- Listen to the Elon Sports Network from Learfield's coverage on The Varsity Network app.
- Longtime voice of the Phoenix, Taylor Durham, will be on the call with coverage beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET with the Carter and Smith Group Countdown to tipoff.
- Elon's game against Hofstra will be streamed live on FloSports.
- Live Stats are available and can be found by visiting https://elonstats.com.
 
THE MATCHUP
- Thursday night marks the 15^th meeting between Elon and Hofstra.
- The Phoenix currently trails the Pride in the all-time series, 11-4.
- In the most recent meeting between the two programs, Elon fell to Hofstra, 97-64, on Tuesday, Feb. 15, at Schar Center.
- Hunter McIntosh led the charge for the Phoenix, dropping 19 points, two rebounds and two assists. The performance marked the 17^th double-digit scoring output for the junior this season and the 51^st overall in his career.
- Darius Burford added 10 points, three boards and two assists in 33 minutes. Burford has now scored 10+ points 16 times this season.
- Chuck Hannah matched season-highs in points (10), assists (3) and field goals (4). Hannah has now posted 10+ points in seven career contests, including twice this year.
- Andrew Junkin played his best game of the season, finishing with season-bests in points (8), rebounds (8), and field goals (3). His eight boards also led the team.
- Hunter Woods chipped in eight points and a team-high four assists in 24 minutes.

SCOUTING ELON
- Junior guard and Preseason All-CAA First Team honoree Hunter McIntosh is second on the team in scoring at 12.8 points per game, adding 2.9 assists per contest. McIntosh has scored in double figures in 52 career games, including 18 times this season. He currently ranks in the sixth in the conference in scoring at 14.5 ppg through 16 CAA contests this year. Against JMU on Feb. 10, McIntosh became the 46^th player in program history to score 1,000 points in his collegiate career.
- Former CAA All-Rookie honoree Darius Burford is currently leading the team in scoring (13.4 ppg), assists (3.0 apg) and steals (1.5 spg). Burford also ranks third on the team in rebounding (4.1 rpg). The sophomore has scored in double figures 18 times and has nabbed at least two steals in 11 games this season. His 15.4 ppg scoring average in conference play also ranks fifth in the CAA.
- Sophomore center Michael Graham ranks third on the team in scoring (9.2 ppg), while leading the team in rebounding at 6.8 rpg. Graham has registered six double doubles and scored at least 10 points in 14 games this season. His 7.3 rebounding average ranks fifth in the CAA during conference play.
- Torrence Watson is fourth on the team in scoring 9.2 points per game, adding 3.0 rebounds per contest as well. Watson has gotten to the charity stripe a team-high 61 times this season, knocking down 52 of his attempts for an 85.2 free throw percentage.
- Junior forward Zac Ervin is fifth on the team in scoring, averaging 7.4 points per game, adding 2.9 rebounds per contest. Ervin has knocked down 47 threes while shooting at a 36.7 percent clip from long distance so far this season.
- Junior forward Hunter Woods is chipping in 5.9 points and 4.6 rebounds in 24.2 minutes through 28 games this season. Woods is also currently second on the team in steals this season with 29 total.
- Senior forward Chuck Hannah is averaging 4.7 points and 3.7 rebounds in 24.0 minutes per game.
- Freshman center Sam Sherry has gotten his Elon career off to a solid start, averaging 2.6 points in just over eight minutes of action per game.
- Elon currently ranks second in the CAA in total threes made (248) and threes made per game (8.6)
- Elon set a program record for points at Schar Center (107), threes made (20) and assists (27) in its home opener against Randolph.
- Seniors Chuck Hannah and Kris Wooten will serve as the team captains for the 2021-22 season.
- This season marks the third for Head Coach Mike Schrage at the helm of the Elon program.
 
SCOUTING HOFSTRA
- Hofstra enters the contest with an 19-9 overall record and 11-4 record in CAA play after defeating Northeastern, 76-73, in its most recent contest. Aaron Estrada led the way for the Pride, dropping 21 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Darlinstone Dubar added 13 points and three boards, while Jalen Ray and Zach Cooks finished with twelve each.
- Speedy Claxton is in the midst of his first season at the helm of the Hofstra program. Claxton is an alum of the Pride's program, having starred for the team from 1996-2000 before playing for ten years in the NBA.
- The Pride are led by Aaron Estrada who leads the team in scoring at 18.8 ppg and is second in rebounds at 5.6 rpg. Hofstra has also gotten contributions from Jalen Ray (13.4 ppg and 3.4 rpg) and Zach Cooks (13.3 ppg and 2.6 rpg) so far this season.

LAST TIME OUT
- Elon fell to Drexel, 71-60, on Saturday, Feb. 19, at Schar Center.
- 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).
 
THE FACES OF 2021-22
- Elon returned three starters in Chuck Hannah, All-CAA Second Team honoree Hunter McIntosh and CAA All-Rookie selection Darius Burford.
- Other returnees for the Phoenix includes seniors Jerald Gillens-Butler, Kris Wooten and Charlie Mendys, juniors Ben Daugherty, Hunter Woods and Zac Ervin, and sophomores Michael Graham and JaDun Michael.
-Additionally, the maroon and gold welcomes five newcomers to the squad in Mizzou transfer Torrence Watson, Mississippi State transfer Andrew Junkin and freshmen RJ Noord, Sam Sherry and Reece Clark.
 
CAA PRESEASON POLL
- The Colonial Athletic Association announced its preseason poll on Thursday, Oct. 28, with Elon tabbed to finish sixth.
- The Phoenix had two student-athletes earn preseason all-conference honors in Hunter McIntosh (1st Team) and Jerald Gillens-Butler (Honorable Mention).
- Elon earned a total of 202 points in the poll, including one first-place vote.
- Delaware was chosen as the preseason favorite with 296 points and 19 first-place votes, followed by Northeastern with 246 points and seven first-place votes. Drexel (234 points; five first-place votes), James Madison (224 points, three first-place votes) and Hofstra (211 points; one first-place vote) rounded out the top five.
 
COMING SOON
- The Phoenix is back in action on Feb. 24 for a matchup with Hofstra in Hempstead, N.Y.
- Elon rounds out the 2021-22 regular season against Northeastern on Feb. 26.
- The Phoenix will then prepare for the upcoming CAA Tournament, set to begin on March 5.