ELON, N.C. – The Elon University men's basketball team continues Colonial Athletic Association play as the Phoenix travels to Charleston, S.C., to take on No. 22 College of Charleston on Saturday, Jan. 14. Game time is set for 4 p.m. at TD Arena.
 
HOW TO FOLLOW
• Saturday's game will be streamed live on FloHoops via a paid subscription.
• Listen to the game on 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 3:30 p.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 Charleston will meet for the 35^th time on the basketball hardwood on Saturday with the Cougars holding a 25-9 advantage in a series dating back to 1992-93. Since both teams became CAA foes, CofC has a 12-4 lead over the maroon and gold including a 6-3 ledger at home.
• The Cougars have won three out of the last four in the series including sweeping the Phoenix in both contests last season. Both games were very competitive however with Charleston only winning both games by a combined score of six points.
• In the most recent matchup on Feb. 5, Elon battled hard against the Cougars, but was doomed by a last-second field goal to earn a 66-64 win at Schar Center. Hunter McIntosh led the charge for the Phoenix, dropping 20 points, five rebounds and three assists in 36 minutes. Darius Burford added 14 points, four assists and three rebounds in 35 minutes of action.
• Elon's last win in the series came on Feb. 14, 2021, as the Phoenix earned a 66-55 win in Charleston. Three players scored in double figures for the maroon and gold including a game-high 20 points from McIntosh.
• Charleston will be the second ranked opponent that the Phoenix will have faced this season after squaring off at No. 18/21 Indiana on Dec. 20. Elon is 0-30 all-time versus ranked opponents since 1999-00.
 
LAST TIME OUT
• Elon led by as many as 14 and carried a 10-point lead early in the second half, but could not stop a furious rally by North Carolina A&T as the Phoenix fell to the Aggies, 80-71, on Wednesday, Jan. 11.
• Torrence Watson led the Phoenix (2-15, 0-4 CAA) with 15 points off the bench while tying his career-high with nine rebounds. Four other players also joined him in double figures with Zac Ervin and Max Mackinnon adding 13 points, Sam Sherry contributing 11 and Sean Halloran scoring 10.
• The Phoenix shot well in the opening half at 45.2 percent (14-of-31) with its 14 made field goals being its third-highest total in the first period all season. Elon was also 7-of-15 from three-point range in the first 20 minutes and 11-of-11 from the charity stripe.
• Elon forced 16 N.C. A&T turnovers, its fifth game of the season where the maroon and gold defense has forced 15 or more turnovers.
•  North Carolina A&T won the battle of the boards, 49-34, including a 16-10 mark on the offensive glass.
• Despite being Piedmont Triad rivals, this was the first meeting between the Phoenix and the Aggies since November 2001. N.C. A&T improved its all-time series lead to 10-4 over Elon while leveling the matchup to 2-2 in contests during the Phoenix's Division I era.
 
SCOUTING ELON
• Halloran continued his double-digit scoring streak versus North Carolina A&T and leads the Phoenix with his 13.1 points per game scoring average. The Orlando, Fla., native is third in the CAA in total assists (74). His 4.4 assist per game average is the highest for the program since Luke Eddy averaged 4.5 assists per game during the 2015-16 season.
• Halloran leads the CAA in total steals (41) and is second in the league in steals per game (2.4). He had three steals versus the Aggies on Wednesday – his ninth game with at least three or more thefts. The graduate student has 22 steals in his past seven games and is currently 10^th in the country in total steals and 13^th in steals per game.
• Halloran has also been close to automatic at the charity stripe this season with his 93.5 free throw percentage (43-of-46). That percentage leads the CAA and is seventh overall in the country.
• Ervin has come on strong during CAA play, leading the team in points per game in league games at 13.3 while ranking second on the squad overall in scoring at 11.2. The Gate City, Va., native has knocked down a team-best 40 treys this season, which is in the top-seven of the CAA.
• Watson has come on strong the previous two games as the St. Louis native has scored in double figures in back-to-back games, averaging 14.5 points per game. He's also led the Phoenix in rebounding the past two games, grabbing 17 rebounds.
• After missing the nonconference portion of the schedule this season due to injury, Jerald Gillens-Butler has eased back into the playing rotation during the start of league play. The Orlando, Fla., native and a preseason All-CAA honorable mention a year ago made his first start of the season against the Aggies and played a season-high 26 minutes and had four points, four rebounds and a pair of steals.
• Elon welcomed the return of Mackinnon against N.C. A&T after missing the previous game versus UNCW. The Brisbane, N.C., native played 24 minutes and added five rebounds and a steal to his stat line against the Aggies. On the season, Mackinnon is third on the team in scoring at 10.8 points per game, is the team's leading rebounder at 4.9 boards per contest and trails only Halloran on the squad in assists (31) and steals (19).
• After losing 73 percent of its scoring from last year's team, 53 percent of Elon's points scored this year has come from members who did not appear in a game for the Phoenix last season (603 of 1,135).
 
SCOUTING NO. 22 COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON
• No. 22 College of Charleston enters Saturday's game with a 17-1 overall record and the nation's longest winning streak in tow at 16 games. The Cougars earned a 71-69 victory over UNCW in a showdown between the top two teams in the league standings on Wednesday night at Wilmington, N.C. Charleston's win snapped the Seahawks' 13-game win streak going into that contest.
• CofC's lone loss of the season came at then No. 1 North Carolina on Nov. 11. Since then, the Cougars have posted the nation's longest winning streak and eventually broke through in the AP Top 25 national rankings after lurking in the receiving votes column for most of the season.
• Charleston leads the CAA in points per game at 80.3, rebounds per game (39.9), free throw percentage (75.1) and three-pointers made per game (9.7). The Cougars are also ninth overall in the nation in bench points per game at 32.8.
• Five players out of Charleston's 10-man rotation average double-figures with guard Dalton Bolon pacing the team at 13.1 points per game. Four other players are averaging between 11.2 points and 10.3 points per game overall with sophomore Ante Brzovic stepping up his average during CAA play to a team-best 14.6 ppg.
• Pat Kelsey is in his second season as the head coach at College of Charleston where he has put up an overall record of 34-16. In his 11-year career as a head coach, Kelsey has an overall record of 220-111.
 
ELON BASKETBALL LIVE RETURNS
• With the start of the new calendar year coinciding with the beginning of Colonial Athletic Association play, Elon Basketball Live presented by MaGerks returned on Monday, Jan. 9. The show will take place at MaGerks Pub & Grill in Elon.
• Elon Basketball Live is the exclusive chance for fans to hear directly from head women's basketball coach Charlotte Smith and head men's basketball coach Billy Taylor all winter long. The longtime voice of the Phoenix, Taylor Durham, will chat with both Smith and Taylor, along with player guests, about recent and upcoming games.
• Fans are invited to attend the broadcast live and can also listen via The Varsity Network app on their phone or smart device. The show will also be available on Tuesday morning via The Voices of Elon Athletics Podcast on Spotify.
 
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
Elon continues its two-game road swing with a rematch at UNCW on Monday, Jan. 17. That game is set for a 7 p.m. tipoff from Trask Coliseum.