Williamsburg, Va. - The Elon Phoenix Women's Basketball team (8-19, 4-12 CAA) suffered a 69-53 loss at the hands of the William & Mary Tribe (15-11, 10-5 CAA) Friday evening on the road.
 
Despite the loss, graduate Lenaejha Evans had another double-digit scoring night, finishing the contest with 18 points and five rebounds. Raven Preston also finished her night in double figures with 10 points and eight boards.
 
William & Mary guards Riley Casey and Sydney Wagner proved to be pivitol for the Tribe. The two combined for 46 of the Tribe's 69 points with Casey finishing with 24 and Wagner finising with 22. In two games against the Phoenix this season, Riley Casey has averaged 27 points after scoring 30 in the Tribe's overtime victory at the Schar Center earlier this month.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 

• Following an Ajia James jumper to start the game, Raven Preston scooped up two offensive rebounds, leading to another bucket to give Elon an early 4-3 lead.
• Ajia James would continue her hot shooting by nailing a three from the right corner to give Elon a two-point lead. Following an Elon turnover, the combo of Casey and Wagner would strike, with Riley Casey picking up the steal and a sweet skip pass which resulted in a Wagner fast break layup.
• Casey and Wagner would combine for eight of the next 11 Tribe points as William & Mary took a five-point lead.
• Five straight points would go to the Phoenix to end the quarter as a jumper by Raven Preston and a three-pointer by fellow rookie Chloe Williams would tie up the score after the first ten minutes.
• Lenaejha Evans got the scoring started for the Phoenix in the second quarter, evading a defender in the right corner and floating in an 11-footer with contact to give Elon a two-point lead. William & Mary would answer with a 10-0 run over the next two-and-a-half minutes to give the Tribe an eight-point lead.
• The teams would trade baskets and foul shots for the remainder of the half and William & Mary would lead by nine going into the half.
• Coming out of the half, Elon got the Tribe lead down to six thanks to another jumper by Evans and two Vanessa Taylor free throws. Evans took over the next two minutes with a step back mid-range jumper on one end, then she ripped the ball from William & Mary and took it coast to coast with a euro-step finish to bring Elon within five.
• Following a Raven Preston layup that cut the Tribe lead to one possession, Riley Casey began to get hot from downtown. After Bre Bellamy converted down low, Casey would hit back-to-back triples to give William & Mary its biggest lead to that point at 11 points.
• Evonna McGill and Kamryn Doty would try to answer with a layup and a triple respectively, but William & Mary led by nine going into the fourth quarter.
• William & Mary would use the first half of the quarter to shut down any chance of an Elon comeback, only allowing the Phoenix to score five points in the first five minutes of the quarter.
• Wagner would close out the Phoenix with a dagger triple with a minute and a half to go giving the Tribe their biggest lead and would ultimately be the final difference of 16.

 
NOTES AND STATS

• Lenaejha Evans continued her strong month of February with an 18-point outing against the Tribe. Evans is averaging 16.5 points per game during the month.
• Raven Preston poured in another double-digit scoring outing, giving her 18 total double-digit scoring games during her rookie season. Preston was also Elon's top rebounder for the 16^th time this season.
• Elon also continued its dominance on the offensive glass, grabbing 11 offensive boards. Elon has reached double-digit offensive rebounds in five of the last six games.
• The Phoenix also had five players secure five or more rebounds, with Raven Preston, Ajia James, Evonna McGill, Lenaejha Evans and Vanessa Taylor all grabbing five or more boards.
• Ajia James, with a first quarter three-ball, continued to be a threat from beyond the arc. James has hit a three-pointer in seven of the last eight games and is shooting 34% from downtown during that stretch.
• With a Hofstra loss, Elon currently sits 11^th in the conference, meaning that the Phoenix would open the conference tournament against the No. 6 seed. The CAA has expanded the conference tournament to accommodate all 13 teams, now featuring a double-bye for the top-four seeds.

 
UP NEXT

• Elon will return home for its final home game of the 2022-23 season when the Phoenix take on the UNCW Seahawks on March 2. Elon will close out the season at Towson on March 4, before returning to SECU Arena for the CAA Tournament beginning March 8.