Elon, N.C. – The Elon University men's basketball team (4-3) returns to Schar Center following it's thrilling victory over Presbyterian Monday night for a matchup with the Warren Wilson College Owls (1-5). Elon looks to extend its Schar Center winning streak to three games following a 2-0 start on Robertson Court.


HOW TO FOLLOW
• The game will stream 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 6:30 p.m. EST along with analyst Bryson Byrnes.
• 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.
 

TICKETS ON SALE
• 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!
• The Elon University Department of Athletics has many ticket options available for fans, including season tickets, single-game tickets and voucher books.
• For more information, visit ElonTickets.com or call the Elon Ticket Office at 336-278-6750.


THE MATCHUP
• Thursday will be the first meeting all-time between the Phoenix and the Owls.


LAST TIME OUT
• A buzzer-beating three-pointer by Rob Higgins was the difference as the Elon University men's basketball team earned an 82-79 win over Presbyterian on Monday night, Nov. 27, in a nonconference battle at Schar Center.
• The Phoenix earned its first win over the Blue Hose at the Division I level and its first victory over Presbyterian since 1992. Elon's 4-3 start is the program's best in its first seven games since also starting 4-3 during the 2017-18 campaign.
• Five players scored in double figures for the Phoenix with Zac Ervin pacing the squad with his 18 points off the bench while going 4-of-6 from downtown. Higgins and Nick Dorn were tied for second with 14 points each while TK Simpkins added 13 points and a team-high nine rebounds. Max Mackinnon closed out the double-digit scorers for Elon with 11 points.
 
 
SCOUTING ELON
• Simpkins currently leads the Phoenix in scoring at 12.7 ppg, just ahead of Max Mackinnon's 12.3 ppg average. Simpkins has scored in double figures in six out of seven games this year with Elon going 4-2 in those contests. He is also in the top-10 of the CAA in steals per game, averaging 2.2 per contest.
• Mackinnon continues to display a great all-around game as the sophomore is currently second on the Phoenix in rebounds (4.9 rpg) and is third on the squad in assists with 18. The Brisbane, Australia, native is hitting just under 50 percent of his shots on the season at 49.3 percent and from downtown at 48.3 percent.
• Dorn is the third player for the maroon and gold averaging double figures at 10.7 points per game. Dorn is tied with Zac Ervin with 16 makes from three this season and has scored in double digits thrice this year.
• Rob Higgins had 10 assists versus IUPUI, tying his overall career high. That number is also tied for the second-most in Elon's Division I history in a single-game. The Middletown, N.J., native is averaging just a shade over double digits at 10.1 points per game while leading the team in minutes played (28.6 mpg) and second on the Phoenix in assists with 20.
• Ervin has 173 made threes in his career, which is currently 12th in school history. He is only eight triples from surpassing Drew Spradlin '12 for 11th all-time in program history.
• As a team, Elon currently ranks in the top-10 of the CAA in eight categories, including scoring offense (78.0 ppg), free throw percentage (72.9), field goal percentage (45.7), three-point percentage (42.0), three-point percentage defense (32.2), assists (14.0 apg), assist-turnover ratio (1.1) and three-pointers made per game (10.4).
• The Phoenix returns eight players from last year's roster for second-year head coach Billy Taylor. Elon was predicted to finish 10th in the 2023-24 CAA Preseason Poll after going 6-12 in league play last season.
• Along with Mackinnon, other returning starters for the Phoenix include Ervin and junior Sam Sherry. Ervin led the Phoenix in three-point makes last season with 61 while averaging 9.3 points per contest. The 6-foot-5 guard was third on the team in minutes per game (27.5) and assists (47).
• After averaging less than 10 minutes a game as a freshman, Sherry came on strong during his sophomore campaign. The Mechanicsville, Pa., native averaged 9.1 points and 4.3 rebounds per game while blocking a team-high 25 shots. He also finished second on the team in field-goal percentage at 57.8 and ended the year with his first career double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds versus William & Mary at the CAA Tournament.
• The maroon and gold also welcomes back three other veterans in senior JaDun Michael and sophomores Smart and LA Pratt. Michael played in 18 games with five starts, averaging 4.1 points. Pratt saw valuable playing time during his freshman season in which he started eight games while Smart gave the Phoenix valuable minutes off the bench before an injury cut short his season in which he averaged 9.0 points per game while 72.2 percent from the floor.
•Elon welcomes eight newcomers to its roster for 2023-24. Joining the Phoenix are transfers Rob Higgins and TK Simpkins along with incoming freshmen Nick Dorn, Grant Gondrezick II, Ned Hull and Savion Taylor.
• Among the notable newcomers include Higgins, a transfer from St. Francis Brooklyn College where he spent the past four seasons. A 6-foot-1, 185-pound guard from Middletown, N.J., Higgins tied for the team-lead in scoring this past season at St. Francis Brooklyn, averaging 11.3 points per contest.
• Simpkins is a 6-foot-4, 170-pound guard who was a member of the Northwest Florida State College program last season. The Brooklyn, N.Y., native appeared in 37 games for the Raiders, averaging 8.8 points per game.The Brooklyn, N.Y., native appeared in 37 games for the Raiders, averaging 8.8 points per game.
 

SCOUTING Warren Wilson
• The Owls are 1-5 overall with their most recent loss coming at the hands of the North Greenville Crusaders.
• Warren Wilson went 7-20 overall last season and was invited to play in the Coast 2 Coast Conference last February. The Owls were tabbed to finish fifth overall in the 2023-24 Coast 2 Coast Conference Preseason poll.
• Dylan Wheatley leads the Owls in scoring with 17.4 points per game. Antonio Banuelos leads the team in rebounding with six boards per contest.
• Chris Horton is currently in his first season at Warren Wilson after spending the previous four seasons at Wilamette University as lead assistant and director of player personnel and development.


SIMPKINS, DORN SWEEP WEEKLY CAA AWARDS
• For their efforts at the Rock Hill Classic, Simpkins and Dorn were named the CAA Player and Rookie of the Week, respectively, as announced by the league office on Nov. 20. It was the first time that the Phoenix has swept the league weekly awards since Darius Burford was named both the Player and Rookie of the Week on Feb. 22, of 2021.
• Along with his 15 points per game, Simpkins also averaged 5.0 rebounds per contest and had four steals. The Brooklyn, N.Y., native scored a season-high 19 points in the Phoenix's 86-72 win over IUPUI while also hitting 7-of-9 from the free throw line. He later had season-highs in rebounds (seven) and assists (five) while scoring 14 points versus Winthrop. He also hit 10 free throws in that game, tied for the most in the CAA this season.
• Dorn also scored a season-high 19 points versus IUPUI as the rookie was 4-of-9 from downtown in the contest. The Charlotte, N.C., native shot 38 percent from three (8-of-21) while pulling down 3.5 rebounds per game.
 

PRESEASON PRAISE
• Sophomore Max Mackinnon received some preseason praise from the CAA as the Brisbane, Australia, native was named to the 2023-24 Preseason All-CAA second team on Oct. 19.
• The reigning CAA Rookie of the Year in 2022-23, Mackinnon is the Phoenix's returning leader in points (11.4 ppg), rebounds (5.1 rpg), assists (2.4 apg) and steals (1.1 spg). Mackinnon is coming off a rookie campaign in which he shot nearly 50 percent from the floor and was named CAA Rookie of the Week selection a league-high four times. He also led the program with three double-doubles and scored in double figures 17 times including four 20-point performances.
• Among Mackinnon's standout games last season included him scoring 19 points at No. 18/21 Indiana, the second-highest point total that a freshman has scored against the Hoosiers at that point of the season. He also scored a season-high 24 points while adding his first career double-double with 12 rebounds at High Point. He also added 20 points and a season-best eight assists at Northeastern while scoring 17 points with a career-best 13 rebounds at No. 22 College of Charleston.
 
UP NEXT
• The Phoenix will hit the road to take on the Radford Highlanders this Sunday from southwest Virginia. Tipoff will be 2 P.M.