ELON, N.C. – The Elon women's basketball team (4-9, 0-2 CAA) travels to Hofstra and Monmouth this weekend, looking to snap a seven-game losing streak and avoid its first 0-3 CAA start. The Phoenix will play the Pride at 7 p.m. Friday before facing the Hawks at 2 p.m. Sunday.
 
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. HOFSTRA, MONMOUTH
 

• Elon leads the all-time series with Hofstra 14-3. The Phoenix has won the last five meetings and 12 of the last 13.
• Elon went 2-0 against the Pride last season. Led by a pair of 20-point games by Kayla Liles (23) and Brie Perpignan (22), the Phoenix won the first meeting between the two teams, 62-58, on Jan. 23, 2022, in Hempstead, N.Y. Liles and Perpignan then helped Elon to a 66-53 win on Feb. 18, 2022, at Schar Center, scoring 17 and 15 points, respectively.
• Hofstra's last win in the series came in the first round of the 2019 CAA Tournament. Down by as many as 16 points, the Phoenix battled back to pull within two late, but it couldn't get any closer, falling 77-75.
• Elon and Monmouth have never met on the hardwood. The Hawks joined the CAA last summer.

 
LAST TIME OUT
 

• The Phoenix opened CAA play last weekend with a pair of losses, falling 67-50 at North Carolina A&T on Friday and 57-54 against Hampton on Sunday.
• Raven Preston delivered a team-high 12 points and game-high 13 rebounds in her CAA debut against the Aggies, but Elon failed to eclipse 50 points for the third straight game.
• The Phoenix's offensive struggles continued into Sunday, as it mustered 14 points on 20% shooting in the first half against the Pirates. Elon bounced back to score 40 points on 60.7% shooting in the second half, but Kamryn Doty's potential game-tying 3-pointer came up just short at the buzzer.
• Ajia James led the Phoenix with a season-high 15 points against Hampton, including 12 in the second half.
• Bria Harmon joined James in double figures with a career-high-tying 13 points – all of which came in the second half. Harmon's three 3-pointers were a career high, and her five field goals matched her career high.
• Elon committed 47 total turnovers across both games, including a season-high-tying 29 against the Pirates. North Carolina A&T and Hampton converted those turnovers into 45 points. On the year, the Phoenix is averaging 21.2 turnovers, which ranked 335th nationally entering Thursday.

 
THAT'S SO RAVEN
 

• After recording her second career double-double against Richmond on Dec. 15 and her first 30-point game against Davidson on Dec. 18, Raven Preston was named the CAA Rookie of the Week on Dec. 19.
• Having also received the award on Nov. 28, Preston is one of three CAA freshmen – along with Drexel's Kylie Lavelle and Grace O'Neill – 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.
• Preston's 31 points against the Wildcats marked the most by a Phoenix freshman since at least 2004-05.
• Having also 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.
• With 12 points and 13 rebounds against North Carolina A&T last Friday, Preston notched her third double-double, tying her with Shay Burnett for the most by an Elon freshman under Smith – no other freshman has registered more than one.
• Preston joined Kayla Liles as the only Phoenix players to record a double-double in a CAA opener, and her 12 points were the second most by an Elon freshman in their CAA debut.
• 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 17th in the CAA in scoring (12.6 points per game) and fifth in rebounding (7.5 boards per game).

 
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 13 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 HOFSTRA
 

• After going 6-5 in nonconference play, Hofstra (6-7, 0-2) opened CAA play last weekend with a 77-65 loss at Delaware and a 67-55 defeat at Stony Brook.
• The Phoenix and Pride share one common opponent: NC Central. The Pride beat the Eagles 69-60 on Nov. 18, 2022, in Hempstead, N.Y., before the Phoenix won 77-68 on Nov. 27, 2022, in Durham, N.C. Elon hasn't won since then.
• Hofstra went 8-20 overall and 4-14 in CAA play last season, finishing ninth in the conference.
• The Pride was picked to finish 13th in the CAA Preseason Poll.
• Hofstra is led by LIU transfer Brandy Thomas, who entered Thursday ranked eighth in the CAA in scoring (15.1 points per game) and third in rebounding (8.8 boards per game).
• Other standouts for the Pride include 2021-22 CAA all-defensive team member Rosi Nicholson – who entered Thursday ranked fifth in the league with 2.2 steals per game – and Zyheima Swint – who ranked ninth in the CAA in rebounding (6.8 boards per game).

 
SCOUTING MONMOUTH
 

• Monmouth (7-6, 2-0) snapped a three-game losing streak in emphatic fashion last weekend, defeating Northeastern 54-49 on Friday before winning 80-60 at Delaware on Sunday for its first two CAA wins.
• The Hawks went 14-16 overall and 9-11 in MAAC play last season, finishing sixth in the league.
• Monmouth was picked to finish tied for 10th in the CAA Preseason Poll.
• The Hawks are led by James Madison transfer Bri Tinsley, who entered Thursday ranked 12th in the CAA in scoring (13.8 points per game) and sixth in assists (3.9 per game).
• Other standouts for Monmouth include Belle Kranbuhl – who entered Thursday ranked second in the CAA in blocks (2.2 per game) and 15th in rebounding (6.5 boards per game) – and Lucy Thomas – who ranked 21st in rebounding (5.1 boards per game) while averaging 9.3 points.

 
UP NEXT
 

• Elon will return to Schar Center to host Delaware at 7 p.m. on Jan. 13 and Northeastern at 1 p.m. on Jan. 15.