ELON, N.C. – The Elon University men's basketball team begins a two-game road swing on Saturday, Feb. 18, as the Phoenix (7-21, 5-10 Colonial Athletic Association) travels to New Jersey for a contest at Monmouth (6-22, 5-10 CAA). Tipoff time is set for 2 p.m. at the OceanFirst Bank Center.
 
HOW TO FOLLOW
• Saturday's 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 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
• Both teams will meet for the first time ever on the basketball hardwood on Saturday as Monmouth is in its first year in the CAA.
• Elon has a record of 2-2 against CAA newcomers this season. The Phoenix fell in both of its matchups against North Carolina A&T while picking up victories at Stony Brook on Feb. 2 and against Hampton on Monday, Feb. 13.
• Phoenix head coach Billy Taylor is 1-1 in his career against Monmouth during his time as the head coach at Lehigh.
 
LAST TIME OUT
• Despite a season-high 25 points from Torrence Watson, the Phoenix fell in its recent matchup versus CAA co-leader College of Charleston by a score of 88-66 on Thursday night at Schar Center.
• The game was tightly contested for the majority of the first half with five ties, nine lead changes and neither team having an advantage of more than three points through the first 13 minutes.
• A late first-half 13-2 run gave Charleston control of the contest and helped the Cougars go into the locker room with a 12-point lead at the half.
• Watson kept the Phoenix within reach in the second half, scoring 20 of his 25 points in the second stanza. Elon would trim its deficit to 10 on a couple of occasions, but could not get any closer as the Cougars emerged with its fourth straight win over the Phoenix.
• Watson led a trio of double-digit scorers for Elon and also paced the Phoenix on the boards with nine rebounds. Sean Halloran added 14 points and Sam Sherry contributed 11.
 
AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE, Oi Oi Oi
• Elon freshman Max Mackinnon earned his second straight CAA Rookie of the Week award on Monday. It was his third overall weekly accolade this season for the Brisbane, Australia, native.
• Last week, Mackinnon led the Phoenix in scoring with 16.5 points per game and tied the team-lead with 8.5 boards per contest. He scored 22 points and had a game-high nine rebounds in Elon's 66-55 victory over William & Mary last Saturday. It was the fourth 20-point performance of the season for the first-year player.
• Mackinnon becomes the first Elon player with at least three CAA Rookie of the Week honors since Hunter McIntosh was recognized four times during the 2019-20 season. His three league rookie honors are the second-most this season behind Hofstra's Amar'e Marshall, who has earned it four times.
 
SCOUTING ELON
• Elon is averaging 66.2 points per game and ranks fourth in the CAA in fastbreak points at 9.46 points per game and fifth in assists (12.5) and assists-to-turnover ratio (1.02).
• Halloran continues to lead the Phoenix in scoring at 12.9 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 22 times.
• Halloran is also the Phoenix's top playmaker with 119 total assists. His 4.3 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 (54) and steals per game (1.9). He currently sits only two steals shy of tying Scottie Rice's D-I mark of 56 in 2003-04.
• Mackinnon is second on the team in scoring at 11.7 points per game and rebounds at 5.1 boards per contest. He's also scored in double figures in six of his past seven games.
• Zac Ervin leads the Phoenix with 57 makes from three-point range and has knocked down 153 treys in his career. The Gate City, Va., native is third on the team in scoring at 9.8 points per game.
• Watson had his second 20-point scoring performance of the season against the Cougars. He also scored 20 points at NC State on Nov. 19, 2022. His 25-point outing was the second-highest scoring total at Elon behind his career-high 34 points he had versus High Point last year.
• Watson has also been a spark on the boards for the Phoenix, averaging a team-high 6.0 rebounds per game. Over his last eight games, Watson has had four double-digit rebounding games and is averaging 8.9 rebounds per game during that stretch.
• Health has been a major storyline for the Phoenix this season. Five players – Halloran, Ervin, Sherry, John Bowen III and LA Pratt – have appeared in all 27 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 MONMOUTH
• Like the Phoenix, the Hawks got off to a rocky start during CAA play, going 0-8 to begin league play. Monmouth however has turned it around during the second half of the conference season, winning five of its past seven games. The Hawks suffered a 77-62 result at the hands of Northeastern in its most recent game on Thursday.
• As a team, Monmouth is averaging 60 points per game on 39.6 percent shooting from the field and 27.6 percent from downtown. The Hawks are pulling down 32.5 rebounds per contest and averaging 11.3 assists and 8.5 steals.
• Individually, two players are averaging double figures for Monmouth in junior Myles Foster (12.0 ppg) and freshman Jack Collins (10.0 ppg). Foster is also the team's leading rebounder at 6.5 boards per contest while Collin has knocked down a team-high 49 treys on the season.
• King Rice is in his 12^th season as the head coach at Monmouth. He has compiled an overall record of 188-189 with the Hawks including winning three regular season championships with the MAAC conference.
 
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
The Phoenix continues CAA play next Thursday, Feb. 23, as the Phoenix travels to William & Mary to close out its road trip this season. That game is set for a 7 p.m. start time on FloHoops.