ELON, N.C. – The Elon University men's basketball team returns to Schar Center on Saturday, Feb. 11, as the Phoenix plays host to William & Mary in a Colonial Athletic Association contest. The game is set for a 2 p.m. tipoff.
 
HOW TO FOLLOW
• Saturday's game will be streamed 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 1:30 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 by following @ElonMBasketball.
 
THE MATCHUP
• Saturday will be the 25^th meeting all-time between Elon and William & Mary and the 20^th as CAA opponents. The Tribe holds a 17-7 advantage over the Phoenix in the series, but the maroon and gold has won four out of the past five meetings.
• Last season, both teams split the series as each team won on its home floor. William & Mary took a 65-61 result in Williamsburg, Va., in the most recent contest which snapped a four-game winning streak in the series for the Phoenix.
• Elon defeated the Tribe, 61-54, the last time the two teams met at Schar Center last year. Torrence Watson scored 14 points and grabbed six rebounds on 4-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc in the win.
• The Phoenix is 4-4 on its home floor versus William & Mary since joining the CAA in 2014-15.
 
LAST TIME OUT
• The Phoenix suffered a 66-61 setback at North Carolina A&T on Wednesday, Feb. 8, snapping Elon's three-game winning streak. The Aggies outscored the maroon and gold 34-25 in the second half after trailing by four after the first period. The game had 11 lead changes overall.
• Watson led the Phoenix with 17 points while grabbing 10 rebounds for his second double-double of the year. Sean Halloran added 12 points while Max Mackinnon contributed 11.
• Elon won the battle on the boards, 45-37, with its 45 rebounds being the second-highest total against a team this season behind its 49 rebounds versus Erskine. Elon's effort on the glass contributed to a 12-3 margin in second-chance points.
• The Phoenix held the Aggies to only 33.3 percent shooting, matching its best defensive shooting percentage this season. UNCW also shot 33.3 percent on Jan. 16.
 
AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE, Oi Oi Oi
• After his strong play last week, Mackinnon was rewarded as the CAA Rookie of the Week on Monday, Feb. 6. It was the second time this season that the Brisbane, Australia, native was recognized with the league weekly honors.
• Mackinnon showcased an all-around game last week, averaging 17.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists for the Phoenix. He also shot a team-best 68.2 percent from the floor (15-of-22) as the Phoenix won a pair of league road contests.
• Mackinnon native nearly had a double-double in both of his outings last week at Stony Brook and Northeastern. He opened the Phoenix's road trip with a 15-point, eight-rebound performance against the Seawolves last Thursday before scoring 20 points with a career-high eight assists in Elon's thrilling 74-73 victory over the Huskies on Saturday. Both wins helped extend the Phoenix's win streak to three.
• Mackinnon becomes the first Elon player with at least two CAA Rookie of the Week honors since Hunter McIntosh was recognized four times during the 2019-20 season.
 
SCOUTING ELON
• Elon is averaging 66.1 points per game and ranks fourth in the CAA in fastbreak points at 9.28 points per contest and fifth in assists (12.7).
• Halloran continues to lead the Phoenix in scoring at 12.8 points per game and has led Elon in scoring eight times this year. The Orlando, Fla., native has scored in double figures a team-best 19 times.
• Halloran is also the Phoenix's top playmaker with 105 total assists. His 4.2 assist average is fifth in the CAA and the highest for the program since Luke Eddy averaged 4.5 assists per game during the 2015-16 season.
• Halloran is second in the CAA in total steals (51) and steals per game (2.0). He moved into the program's top-10 list for steals in a single season at the Division I level and sits only five steals shy of tying Scottie Rice's D-I mark of 56 in 2003-04. His steals per game average would also tie Rice's single-season school record of 2.0 in 2002-03.
• Mackinnon is second on the team in scoring at 11.3 points per game while also being the Phoenix's leading rebounder with 125 boards (5.2 rpg). Over his last four games, the rookie is averaging 15.0 points per game while hitting 56.8 percent of his shots while averaging 45 assists per game. For the season, Mackinnon is shooting 50 percent from the floor, which is third on the team among players with 20 or more made field goals behind Sam Sherry (.543) and John Bowen III (.515).
• Jerald Gillens-Butler continues his recovery back into the Phoenix's lineup after missing the first half of the season due to injury. The Orlando, Fla., native has started the past eight games he has played and is averaging 10.4 points per game during that stretch. He is averaging 14.6 points in his past five games with four double-digit scoring performances in which the Phoenix has won three of those contests.
• Zac Ervin leads the Phoenix with 55 makes from three-point range and has knocked down 151 treys in his career. The Gate City, Va., native is third on the team in scoring at 10.4 points per game. He is ninth overall in the CAA in three-point field goals per game at 2.2.
• Watson has been a spark on the boards for the Phoenix, averaging a team-high 5.7 rebounds per game after his 10-rebound performance at N.C. A&T. The St. Louis native has had three double-digit rebounding games in his last five games, averaging 9.0 rebounds per game during that stretch. His 17 points against the Aggies was his second-highest scoring performance this season and upped his season average to 9.2 points per game.
• Health has been a major storyline for the Phoenix this season. Five players – Halloran, Ervin, Sherry, Bowen III and LA Pratt – have appeared in all 25 games so far for the Phoenix. Elon has also had four scholarship players – Gillens-Butler, Andrew Junkin, JaDun Michael and Deandre Smart – miss eight or more games this season with injuries.
 
SCOUTING WILLIAM & MARY
• William & Mary (9-16, 4-8 CAA) sits seventh in the league standings after coming off a 70-63 loss versus UNCW last Saturday. The defeat was the third in a row for the Tribe, who last won versus Stony Brook on Jan. 26.
• The Tribe is averaging 68.3 points on 44.3 percent shooting, including 37.2 percent from 3-point range, to go with 34.2 rebounds, 12.3 assists, 5.9 steals and 2.2 blocks per game, while allowing 71.2 points on 46.1 percent shooting, including 34.3 percent from 3-point range. The team is connecting on 66.4 percent from the free throw line.
• William & Mary has a balanced scoring team with 5 players averaging nearly seven or more points, including two double-digit scorers in graduate student Anders Nelson (11.7 ppg) and sophomore Gabe Dorsey (10.9 ppg). Nelson is connecting on 49.1 percent from the field and 46.1 percent from three-point range to go with his average of 4.6 assists per game.
• Dorsey leads the team with 76 three-point makes at 44.4 percent from downtown. Two other players, Ben Wight (9.9 ppg) and Noah Collier (9.0 ppg) are also averaging nine or more points per game. Collier leads the team in rebounding at 8.2 rebounds per game while Wight is second at 5.0 boards per contest.
• William & Mary is led by fourth-year head coach Dane Fischer, who has posted a 42-64 record at the helm of the Tribe men's basketball program.
 
ELON BASKETBALL LIVE RETURNS
• With the start of the new calendar year coinciding with the beginning of Colonial Athletic Association play, Elon Basketball Live presented by MaGerks returned on Monday, Jan. 9. The show will take place at MaGerks Pub & Grill in Elon.
• Elon Basketball Live is the exclusive chance for fans to hear directly from head women's basketball coach Charlotte Smith and head men's basketball coach Billy Taylor all winter long. The longtime voice of the Phoenix, Taylor Durham, will chat with both Smith and Taylor, along with player guests, about recent and upcoming games.
• Fans are invited to attend the broadcast live and can also listen via The Varsity Network app on their phone or smart device. The show will also be available on Tuesday morning via The Voices of Elon Athletics Podcast on Spotify.
 
TICKETS ON SALE
• Season tickets are now on sale for $170 for men's basketball.
• Single-game tickets are now on sale! Single-game tickets begin at $15 for men's basketball.
• Fans are able to 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 will also receive an Elon mini autographed basketball from the head coaches. These tickets represent a 50 percent savings for men's basketball tickets and a 25 percent savings for women's basketball vs. 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.
 
LAUNCHING THE BILLY TAYLOR ERA
• Billy Taylor was named the 19^th head coach of the Phoenix on April 15, 2022. Taylor arrived to the Phoenix after spending the past three seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Iowa.
• Prior to working with the Hawkeyes, Taylor spent five years as head coach at Lehigh University followed by six seasons as the head coach at Ball State University and three at Belmont Abbey College.
• In his time at Iowa, the Hawkeyes ranked as one of the top offensive teams in the country, ranking fifth nationally in scoring average in both 2021 (83.7) and 2022 (83.2). The program also led the country in assist-to-turnover ratio in both seasons.
• Taylor was a two-time Patriot League Coach of the Year (2003, 2004) and led Lehigh to both the regular season and tournament titles in 2004, earning a bid to the NCAA Tournament that season. He also guided Ball State to the 2009 MAC West Division crown.
 
OPENING TIP
• Elon welcomes back seven letterwinners from last year's team including five upperclassmen. Among the notable returners for the maroon and gold includes graduate student Torrence Watson and senior Zac Ervin. Both players are the leading returning scorers for Elon at 9.2 and 7.1 points per game, respectively.
• The Phoenix also welcomes back redshirt Jerald Gillens-Butler, who hopes to return to form after being named an All-Colonial Athletic Association honorable mention prior to last year. The Orlando, Fla., native appeared in only 10 games last year after missing most of the prior season due to an injury.
• A pair of graduate transfers will look to make an immediate impact for the Phoenix this season. Sean Halloran arrives to the Phoenix after an outstanding four-year career at Belmont Abbey. The Orlando, Fla., native finished as the all-time career assist leader with the Crusaders while helping the program to back-to-back Conference Carolinas Tournament Championships and three straight NCAA tournament appearances. He rounded out his career averaging 14.4 points per game as a senior and concluded his career with 1,422 points.
• Another graduate transfer, John Bowen III, brings size to the Phoenix front line at 6-foot-9 and 215 pounds. The Bladenboro, N.C., native last played at UNCW in 2019-20 and appeared in 28 out of 32 games. Prior to UNCW, Bowen III was a teammate of Halloran's at Belmont Abbey and averaged 8.9 points per game and 5.5 rebounds per contest in 2018-19 while starting 27 of 28 games.
• A pair of freshmen will also look to make an impact for the maroon and gold in 2022-23. Max Mackinnon is a 6-foot-5 swingman from Brisbane, Australia, where he won back-to-back gold medals with the U20 Australian National Team. He was also named an All-Star 5 at the Australian National Championship.
• Another freshman, LA Pratt, is a 6-foot-5 guard from Columbus, Ohio, who was a three-time All-4A Team member and three-time conference champion at Lincoln Park High School. He scored over 1,000 points in high school and helped guide the program to two WPIAL Championship appearances and two State Semifinal appearances.
 
UP NEXT
Elon is back in action on Monday night, Feb. 13, hosting Hampton at Schar Center at 9 p.m. That game is set to air on the CBS Sports Network.