ELON, N.C. – The Elon University women's basketball team (1-1) continues its road swing Wednesday when it visits No. 14 NC State (2-0). Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. from Kay Yow Court inside Valvano Arena at Reynolds Coliseum.
 
COVERAGE

• The game will stream live on ACCNX.
• Links for the broadcast and live stats can be found on the Elon women's basketball schedule page here.
• Fans can also listen to the contest on WSOE 89.3 FM.
• Other in-game updates will be provided via the program's Twitter account, @ElonWBasketball. 

THE SERIES

• Elon trails the all-time series against the Wolfpack 14-1.
• This game marks the fifth consecutive season the two programs have met. The Wolfpack have won the last six matchups between the teams, most recently on Nov. 10, 2022, when the Wolfpack beat Elon 89-55 at Reynolds Coliseum.
• Elon's lone victory in the series came on Dec. 13, 2015, on the road at Broughton High School, when the Phoenix defeated the Wolfpack 69-66. Essence Baucom, who's in her third season as an assistant coach with her alma mater, recorded three points, three rebounds, six assists, two blocks and a steal behind Lauren Brown who led four double-digit scorers with a team high 18 points.

LAST TIME OUT

• The Phoenix (1-1) came out strong offensively on Saturday to defeat Gardner-Webb 90-69.
• Maraja Pass put on a show for her city with a 16-point performance going 6-for-7 from the field and 4-for-5 from the free-throw line.
• Ajia James came alive in the second half scoring 14 points in the last 11 minutes of play where she went 4-for-7 from beyond the arc.
• Ruby Willard also recorded a career-high 14 points shooting 71.4% from the floor while adding two steals.
• Sophomore guard Regina Walton led the team on the boards with a career-high seven rebounds and six assists.
• Vanessa Taylor continued a strong defensive presence for the team adding three steals, one block and four rebounds.
• Hannah Dereje and Aly Wadkovsky scored their first buckets of the season. Wadkovsky also added one of the team's three blocks on Saturday.
• Saturday'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.
• Elon's 54.8 field goal percentage was the highest since last season's victory at NC Central on Nov. 27, 2022. 

SCOUTING NC STATE                           

• NC State (2-0) is coming off a 92-81 home win against #2 UConn, marking the first time the Wolfpack has beaten a top-five team while unranked since 2016.
• The Wolfpack went 20-12 overall and 9-9 in ACC play last season, finishing eighth in the regular season.
• NC State was selected to finish eighth in the ACC with reigning conference tournament champions Virginia Tech earning the top spot in the ACC Preseason Poll.
• After losing four starters, the Wolfpack enter the season with only five members returning, in addition to six true freshmen and two transfers.
• Saniya Rivers recorded her first career double-double against the Huskies highlighted by a career-high 33 points and 10 rebounds. She led the team in both categories along with tallying a team-high five assists, three blocks and three steals. She went 11-for-19 from the field and 10-for-14 from the free-throw line.
• Last week, Rivers earned a spot on the Naismith Trophy Preseason Watch List after being named ACC Sixth Player of the Year in the 2022-23 season. The junior averaged a career-best 8.6 points and 5.2 boards last season. She led the team last year in steals and blocks per game.
• Asizaha James, Madison Hayes and Zoe Brooks all scored double figures for the Wolfpack in the win over UConn.
• As a team, the Wolfpack shot 52.5% from the floor and went 22-for-28 from the free-throw line.
• Graduate student Mimi Collins earned a place on the 2024 Katrina McClain Award Watch List for the second season in a row. This award recognizes the top power forward in NCAA Division I women's basketball each year.
• NC State is led by 11-year head coach Wes Moore who joined the team prior to the 2013-14 season. Moore holds a 242-81 record while leading the Wolfpack to seven NCAA Tournament appearances, highlighted by the program's second ever Elite Eight appearance in 2022.

PART OF THE PACK

• Elon shares several connections to NC State, with none being more prominent than the one with the Yow family.
• Kay Yow began her legendary coaching career at Elon in 1971 and played a major role in launching the school's women's athletics program. In addition to coaching the women's basketball team to 57 wins and two state titles over four seasons, she coached the volleyball team to 72 victories over three seasons before accepting the head women's basketball job at NC State in 1975. The Naismith Hall of Famer won more than 700 games with the Wolfpack, but for many fans, she was best defined by her unwavering resolve while fighting cancer.
• Debbie Yow played for Elon from 1971-74, serving as co-captain under Kay. She later followed her older sister's footsteps and entered the collegiate coaching ranks, tallying 160 victories at Kentucky, Oral Roberts and Florida. After eight seasons, she embarked on a successful career in athletics administration that included stints as the athletics director at Maryland and NC State. A longtime member of the Elon University Board of Trustees, she was awarded the Elon Medallion, the university's highest honor, in October 2021.
• One of the most prolific athletes in Elon history, Susan Yow lettered in women's basketball (1972-75) and volleyball (1972-74) as a member of each inaugural team before transferring to NC State for her final season. She was a two-time all-state selection and a Kodak All-American at Elon and still ranks second in single-season free-throw percentage (.851 in 1972-73), fourth in single-season field goal percentage (.581 in 1973-74) and fifth in career rebounds per game (8.5). Like her sisters, Susan later embarked on an accomplished head-coaching career that included stops at Queens University, Belmont Abbey College, Providence College, UNCW, Kansas State, Drake and East Tennessee State.
• Charlotte Smith's uncle, David Thompson, led the NC State men's basketball team to its first national championship and earned NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player honors in 1974. Her cousin, Dereck Whittenburg, later helped the Wolfpack to the 1983 NCAA championship and currently serves as the associate athletics director for community relations and student support at NC State. Thompson was honored at Reynolds Coliseum with a statue commemorating his play for the red and white.
• Elon assistant coach Edgar Farmer Jr.'s father served as the director of graduate programs and as an associate professor in the Department of Adult and Community College Education at NC State for seven years. Farmer Jr. also sold game programs at Reynolds Coliseum and Carter-Finley Stadium growing up.
• Elon assistant coach Essence Baucom spent two seasons as a graduate assistant at NC State, helping the Wolfpack to a 28-4 record and the program's first ACC Tournament title since 1991 during the 2019-20 season. She worked with NC State's guards as well as on opponent scouting and practice preparation.
• Kaila Ealey, who is in her second season as Elon's director of operations, enjoyed a five-year playing career at NC State, where she made 36 starts at point guard. For her career, she netted 435 points, 326 rebounds, 241 assists and 104 steals while appearing in 94 games. Her best season came in 2017-18, when she started all 35 games while averaging a career-high 8.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.5 steals. 

EDUCATION DAY IS BACK AGAIN                    

• The Elon women's basketball team will welcome local elementary school students to campus again this season for a fun-filled Education Day matinee.
• The game this year will be against Northeastern on Feb. 2, 2024, at 11:00 a.m. in Schar Center. This marks the second time that Elon held an Education Day since Jan. 27, 2011.
• Last year 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. This was also the largest crowd recorded by the conference last season which helped Elon land second in total attendance with 25,859.

TICKETS ON SALE

• The Elon University Department of Athletics has many ticket options available for fans, including season tickets, single-game tickets and voucher books.
• Single game tickets are now available for the 2023-24 Elon Basketball season! Don't miss the action, be there to cheer on your Phoenix! Grab your tickets today and be a part of the excitement in Schar Center!
• For more information on ticketing, visit ElonTickets.com or call the Elon Ticket Office at 336-278-6750.

UP NEXT

• Elon will face another ACC program when it travels to No. 17 North Carolina on Saturday. Tipoff is slated for 3 p.m. at Carmichael Arena.