ELON, N.C. – The Elon University men's basketball team welcomes Bridgewater College to Schar Center on Friday night, Feb. 15. The Phoenix (5-5) and the Eagles (9-2) are scheduled for a 7 p.m. tipoff time.
 
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 along with analyst Katie Bennert with the pregame show beginning at 6:30 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/X 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
• Friday marks the ninth all-time meeting between Elon and Bridgewater in a series dating back to 1926-27. Elon won the first ever meeting, 21-20, in 1926 as the maroon and gold is 8-0 all-time in the series.
• The last time the two teams met was on November 13, 2012, at Alumni Gym with Elon coming away with a 95-51 victory. The Phoenix hit 16 three-pointers in the game with six coming from Sebastian Koch and five from Jack Isenbarger. Isenbarger led all players with 19 points, while Koch finished the night with 18.
 
LAST TIME OUT
• The Phoenix nearly overcame a 15-point first-half deficit at its Piedmont Triad rival UNCG on Sunday, but saw its comeback attempt fall short as the Spartans earned an 82-73 win over Elon.
• UNCG led by as much as 24 points in the contest, but the Phoenix battled back to make it a one-possession game with 36 seconds left after a three-pointer by Rob Higgins. The Spartans however were able to hit their free throws down the stretch to hold off Elon for its seventh straight victory overall and sixth in a row over the Phoenix.
• Higgins tied his best scoring output in an Elon uniform, leading the Phoenix (5-5) with 20 points. Junior Sam Sherry registered his second career double-double with 16 points while tying the game-high with 11 boards.
• Elon held UNCG to 34.6 percent shooting (9-of-26) in the second half. The Phoenix also only turned the ball over seven times in the contest, tying for its lowest total in a game this season.
• The Phoenix moved to 5-4 all-time versus UNCG in the Greensboro Coliseum.
 
SCOUTING ELON
• The Elon offense continues to be potent through the first 10 games, as the Phoenix is averaging 81.8 points on 47.1 percent shooting from the field, including 9.0 3-pointers per game and 72.7 percent shooting from the line. The maroon and gold ranks 53^rd in the nation in points per game.
• The bench unit for Elon continues to be productive, ranking 23^rd in the country in scoring at 32.10 points per game. Against UNCG, the Phoenix scored 19 points off the pine, outdueling UNCG's reserves who scored 14. Elon has scored 30 or more points off the bench six times this season.
• TK Simpkins currently leads the Phoenix in scoring at 13.2 ppg. The Brooklyn, N.Y., native has scored in double figures in eight out of 10 games. He is also second in the CAA in total steals with 18 and second in the league in free throw attempts with 67, with that number ranking 35^th in the nation.
• Higgins scored in double figures for the fourth time in the past five games against UNCG, raising his scoring average to 10.8 points per game, which is second on the team. The Middletown, N.J., native is averaging 14.2 points per game over his past five games, shooting the ball at 58.1 percent (25-of-43) from the floor and 44.4 percent from three (8-of-18).
• Max Mackinnon is the third leading scorer for the Phoenix, averaging 10.7 points per game. The Brisbane, Australia, native is second on the team in rebounds at 4.9 boards per contest and third overall in assists with 25.
• Zac Ervin is fourth on the team in scoring at 9.9 ppg. The Gate City, Va., native leads the team with 23 triples on the season, knocking down treys at a 44.2 percent clip. He hit a pair of three-pointers versus UNCG on Sunday, giving him 180 made triples in his career. That places him in a tie for 11th all-time in school history along with Drew Spradlin '12.
• The Phoenix returns eight players from last year's roster for second-year head coach Billy Taylor. Elon was predicted to finish 10^th 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. Other returners on the Phoenix include sophomores Otto Luessenhop and Austin Williams.
•Elon welcomes seven newcomers to its roster for 2023-24. Joining the Phoenix are transfers Rob Higgins and TK Simpkins along with incoming freshmen Kendall Campbell, Nick Dorn, Isaac Harrell, 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.
 
SCOUTING BRIDGEWATER
• Bridgewater is 9-2 overall on the season after coming off a 58-53 win over Greensboro College on Wednesday. The Eagles have won three straight games and are 5-1 on the road this season, but Friday's game will serve as an exhibition for Bridgewater, who is a member of the NCAA Division III.
• The Eagles are averaging 75.5 points per game on 43.2 percent shooting, including 31.7 percent from 3-point range, while allowing 66.3 points on 41.4 percent shooting, including 25.9 percent from long range. The Eagles are shooting 68.7 percent from the free throw line.
• Three players are averaging in double figures led by senior Alec Topper, who is averaging 16.4 points on 52.9 percent shooting, including 55.9 percent from 3-point range. Junior Aaron Oates averages 14.4 points on 50 percent shooting. Freshman Jordan Cooper averages 12.9 points per game to go along with team-bests in assists (36) and steals (24).
• Bridgewater was picked seventh in the preseason Old Dominion Athletic Conference poll after the Eagles returned 11 lettermen from a team that posted a 13-13 record a year ago and reached the quarterfinal round of the ODAC tournament.
• Steve Enright is in his fifth season at the helm of the Bridgewater men's basketball program. Over his career with the Eagles, Enright has posted a record of 43-53 as Bridgewater's 13-13 ledger last season was the team's best in six seasons.
 
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 travels to South Carolina for a matchup versus the Gamecocks next Friday, Dec. 22. That contest is scheduled for 6 p.m. and will air on the SEC Network.