BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – A strong offensive performance sparked by freshman Maraja Pass led the Elon University women's basketball team to a 90-69 win over the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs on Saturday.
Pass put on a show for her city, leading the Phoenix with 16 points going 6-for-7 from the floor and 4-for-5 from the free-throw line. Ajia James came alive in the second half with 14 points in the final 20 minutes. Ruby Willard matched James with a career-high 14 points in the victory.
"I am really proud of how the team responded in a bounce back victory. We are very resilient. It is the epitome of what a Phoenix always does; we rise from the ashes," said head coach
Charlotte Smith. "It was a collective effort defensively. We handled the press and were able to get some easy scores. We were much more organized offensively and shot the ball really well today."
THE RUNDOWN
- Both teams started off on fire offensively playing quick aggressive basketball. Elon went ahead 12-11 after going 5-for-9 from the floor to start the game. Gardner-Webb went on a 6-0 run to retake the lead 17-12 with just under four minutes left in the opening quarter. The Phoenix responded with a 4-0 run thanks to two quick layups from Maya Johnson and Maraja Pass. However, the Runnin' Bulldogs entered the second quarter ahead 24-19.
- The Phoenix went on an 8-0 run to start the second quarter going ahead 27-24. Each team traded buckets throughout the frame until Vanessa Taylor sank two free-throws giving Elon a two-point lead before she added a block to the stat book. Following the rejection, Regina Walton hit a pull-up jumper at the buzzer to give Elon a 35-31 lead going into halftime. Defensively, Elon limited the Runnin' Bulldogs to only seven points in the quarter, the fewest since Stony Brook managed just seven points in the first round of the 2023 CAA Tournament.
- Following a similar script, Elon opened the third quarter on a 12-3 run thanks to back-to-back three-pointers from Willard and a pair of layups from Ava Leroux and Pass. The Phoenix gained the first double-digit lead for either team at 45-34 that they would keep the rest of the game. With one minute left in the third quarter Ajia James caught fire making two straight baskets, including one from beyond the arc to give Elon a 64-46 advantage heading into the final 10 minutes.
- James stayed hot in the fourth quarter nailing a trio of triples to help extend the Phoenix lead to 75-52. From there, Gardner-Webb outscored Elon 17-15 in the remainder of the fourth quarter but could never get within 17 points as the Phoenix held on for the 90-69 victory.
NOTES
- Ruby Willard made her first career start for the Phoenix and was joined by Regina Walton, Jessica Booth, Vanessa Taylor and Maya Johnson.
- Maraja Pass was unstoppable on offense going 6-for-7 from the floor with 16 points to lead the team.
- Ajia James and Willard both recorded 14 points, a career-high for Willard. James went 4-for-7 from beyond the arc with all of her points coming in the last 11 minutes of regulation.
- Regina Walton led the team on the boards with a career-high seven rebounds and six assists.
- Vanessa Taylor had a strong game defensively recording three steals, one block and four rebounds.
- Hannah Dereje and Aly Wadkovsky scored their first buckets of the season. Wadkosvky also added one of the team's three blocks.
- Today's game marked the first time every player has scored in a game since 2018 when Elon defeated the College of Charleston, 97-44.
- Elon's 55 second half points are the most in a half since the Phoenix put up 56 in the final two quarters against William & Mary two seasons ago.
- The team's 17 assists were the most in a game since Elon's home victory against North Carolina A&T last season when the Phoenix tallied 19.
- The Phoenix surpassed the 90-point mark for the first time in four seasons. Elon's last 90-point outing came against Charleston in a 90-48 victory over the Cougars in 2020.
- The 21-point margin of victory is Elon's largest since Elon defeated William & Mary by 24 on Mar. 3, 2022.
- Elon's 54.8 field goal percentage was the highest since last season's victory at NC Central on Nov. 27, 2022.
UP NEXT
- The maroon and gold will return on the road Wednesday when they travel east on I-40 for their first ACC matchup of the season at NC State. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Reynolds Coliseum.
-- ELON --
