Elon, N.C. - The Elon Women's Basketball Team (8-19, 4-12 CAA) looks to begin the month of March on a high note as the team welcomes the UNCW Seahawks (5-22, 2-14 CAA) to Schar Center Thursday evening at 7 p.m. Elon will then travel to Towson (17-10, 11-5 CAA) for the Phoenix's final regular season game at 1 p.m. Saturday.
 
COVERAGE
 

• Both games will air on FloSports.
• Fans can also listen to the game on WSOE 89.3.
• Live stats for both games can be found by CLICKING HERE.  
• Other in game updates with be provided via the program's Twitter account, @elonwbasketball.

LAST TIME OUT  

• Elon fell on the road at William & Mary by a score of 69-53.
• The Phoenix began the contest with one of its strongest starts in conference play. 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 a turnover by Regina Walton, 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 would get 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 would get the Tribe lead down to six thanks to another jumper by Lenaejha Evans and two Vanessa Taylor free throws. Lenaejha Evans would take over the next two minutes with a step back mid-range jumper on one end, then rip the ball from William & Mary and take it coast to coast with a euro step finish to bring Elon within five.
• Following a Raven Preston layup that would cut the Tribe lead to one possession, Riley Casey began to get hot from downtown. After Bre Bellamy converted down low, Caey would hit back-to-back triples to give William & Mary their biggest lead to that point, 11.
• 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.
• Sydney 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.

 
SERIES HISTORY

• Elon leads the all-time series with UNCW 15-8.
• Thursday's game will be the second game of the season against the Seahawks for the Phoenix.
• The first matchup came earlier this season when the Phoenix played the Seahawks at Trask Coliseum and UNCW prevailed over Elon 62-58.  
• The Phoenix had its best game taking care of the basketball, finishing with a season-low six turnovers.
• Elon also had its most productive day at the free throw line this season, finishing the first matchup against the Seahawks by shooting 19-of-23 from the charity stripe. 
• Coming into this matchup with UNCW, Elon has won four of the last five meetings with the Seahawks and has a record of 11-5 since joining the CAA.
• Elon leads the all-time series with Towson 9-5.
• Towson won both matchups last season including a 15-point win in the Schar Center the last time these two teams met.
• All of the matchups between the Phoenix and Tigers have come while Elon has been a member of the CAA.
• This will be the first matchup for the Tigers under new head coach Laura Harper against the Phoenix.
• Dating back to 2018, the Tigers and Phoenix have split the last eight matchups evenly, 4-4. 

THAT'S SO RAVEN

• Freshman wing Raven Preston is well on her way to one of the finest rookie campaigns in Elon women's basketball history. The Greensboro native was awarded her sixth CAA Rookie of the Week earlier this week.
• Preston flirted with a double-double yet again, as she put in 10 points and grabbed eight rebounds in the Phoenix loss to William & Mary last week.
• Preston put together her most com­plete performance of her freshman campaign against William & Mary last month. The rookie from Greensboro, N.C., finished the contest just two assists shy of a triple double. The final stats read 13 points, 14 rebounds, eight assists and 1 steal.
• Preston was awarded her fifth CAA Rookie of the Week honor following victories over North Carolina A&T and College of Charleston. With her fifth award, Preston surpasses Elon great Shay Burnett for the most CAA Rookie of the Week accolades in a single season.
• In a season full of highlights, Raven Preston de­livered the signature moment of her young Elon career when she banked in a buzzer-beat­ing, game-winning 3-pointer in the Phoenix's 63-60 victory at Delaware.
• The miraculous shot – which came in at No. 9 on SportsCenter's Top 10 – secured Elon its first CAA victory this season. And it then earned the Greensboro, N.C., native her league-best fourth CAA Rookie of the Week award.
• Preston's 3-pointer handed the Phoenix its first walk-off win since Burnett made a buzzer-beating layup in a double-overtime victory at Delaware on Feb. 7, 2016. It also gave Preston a game-high 17 points, and she followed that up with nine points, six rebounds and three assists against Drexel.
• With 13 points and a game-high 14 rebounds against Northeastern on Jan. 15, Preston posted her fourth double-double, setting a new fresh­man record under Charlotte Smith. Burnett (2014-18) – who held the previous record of three – was in attendance as the Phoenix cel­ebrated its alumni weekend.
• Preston's four double-doubles are the most by a CAA rookie since Delaware's Jasmine Dickey had five in 2018-19.
• Preston's 14 rebounds against Northeastern also marked the most by a freshman in CAA play since Towson's Allie Kubek had 14 against Drexel on Feb. 21, 2021.
• Preston's 19 points against Hofstra on Jan. 6 are tied for the most by a CAA freshman during league play. She also tallied six steals against the Pride, the most by a Phoenix freshman since Lei Lei Hairston had six against St. Andrews on Nov. 20, 2009.
• Preston's 31 points against Davidson on Dec. 18, 2022, marked the most by a Phoenix fresh­man since at least 2004-05.
• Having also scored 22 points against Old Do­minion and 26 at NC Central, she's the only fresh­man to post three 20-point games under Smith.
• Preston's three 20-point games account for three of the top four scoring performances by a freshman in Smith's 12-season tenure.
• With 12 points and 13 rebounds against North Carolina A&T on Dec. 30, 2022, Preston joined Kayla Liles as the only Phoenix players to record a double-double in a CAA opener, and her 12 points were the second most by an Elon fresh­man in their CAA debut.
• Preston's 15 rebounds against Old Dominion tied for the third most by a Phoenix player and were the most by a freshman under Smith. They were also the most by a CAA freshman since UNCW's Taylor Webster had 19 against Norfolk State on Nov. 25, 2020.
• With her 22 points and 15 rebounds against the Monarchs, Preston became the fifth player and the second freshman to post a 20-point, 10-rebound game under Smith. The 20-point, 10-rebound game was the first by a CAA fresh­man since Towson's Allie Kubek had 20 points and 14 rebounds against Drexel on Feb. 21, 2021.
• Entering Friday, Preston ranked 16th in the CAA in scoring (12.8 points per game) and third in rebounding (8.1 boards per game). Both figures were the best among CAA freshmen. She also led conference freshmen with 12.3 points per game and a league-best 8.7 rebounds per game in CAA play.
• Preston has scored in double figures in 12 of her first 15 CAA games and 17 times overall.

 
CRASHING THE GLASS

• Elon has been phenomenal crashing the boards in the back half of their conference schedule.
• In five out of the last six games, the Phoenix has had double-digit offensive rebounds, grabbing 15 or more offensive boards twice in that span.
• Evonna McGill set a new career high against the College of Charleston for rebounds in a game when she gathered up 12 rebounds against the Cougars.
• Freshman Raven Preston leads the conference in rebounding with just under nine rebounds per game in CAA play and is averaging over eight rebounds per game on the season.
• The last player to average more than eight rebounds per game for the Phoenix was Kelsey Evans during the 2012-13 season.
• Five different players have had a double figure rebounding game during their Phoenix career, along with Preston and McGill, Ajia James, Vanessa Taylor, and Maya Johnson have all had 10 or more rebounds in a game. Ajia James leads the career tally with double figure rebounding games with 12 during her career.
• During Elon's most recent outing with William & Mary, five members of the Phoenix grabbed five or more rebounds. Ajia James and Raven Preston led the Phoenix with seven boards and eight boards each.   

 
PRESEASON ACCOLADES

• The Phoenix was picked to finish fourth in the CAA Preseason Poll, marking the sixth time in its nine CAA seasons that Elon has ranked fourth or better in the league's preseason balloting.
• Evonna McGill was named to the preseason All- CAA second team, becoming the first Phoenix post player to earn preseason All-CAA honors since Ma­laya Johnson made the second team in 2017-18.
• McGill averaged 11.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.0 blocks last season. All three of those figures rank in the top six among CAA returners.
• Her 58.9 field-goal percentage was the third best in program history and is also the seventh high­est among returning Division I players who made at least five shots per game and played in 75% of their team's games last season.

 
FRESH FACES

• Elon boasts seven newcomers, including six freshmen in Hannah Dereje, Raven Preston, Aly Wadkovsky, Regina Walton, Ruby Willard and Chloe Williams.
• The six-player freshman class matches the Phoenix's largest under Charlotte Smith; Elon's 2017 recruiting class also consisted of six players.
• Graduate transfer Lenaejha Evans also joined the Phoenix after two seasons at Rider. The guard – who averaged 14.0 points en route to third-team All-MAAC honors in 2021-22 – began her career at Kansas City Kansas Community College in 2018-19, then transferred to Pensacola State College for one season before enrolling at Rider.
• Although they aren't new to Elon, redshirt freshmen guards Kamryn Doty and Diamond Monroe are also new to the mix after missing the entire 2021-22 season due to injury.

 
BIG SHOES TO FILL

• Elon entered the 2022-23 season looking to fill the void left by Brie Perpignan, who finished her Phoenix career as one of only five players to record 1,100 points and 350 assists, along with Shay Burnett (2014-18), Ali Ford (2009-13), Lisa Briggs (1983-87) and Donna Trollinger (1981-85).
• Perpignan's 359 career assists are the eighth most in Elon history, and her 1,194 points are tied for the 14th most. She also ranks second in career free-throw percentage (min. 250 made) at 80 (335-for-419).
• The point guard was sensational in 2021-22, ranking second in the CAA in assists per game (5.5), third in free-throw percentage (81.1) fifth in points per game (16.6) and fifth in assist/turnover ratio (1.5).
• For her efforts, she was named to the All-CAA second team, becoming just the fourth Phoenix player to make the first or second team and the first since 2017-18.
• Perpignan accounted for 26.6% of Elon's scoring, 36.6% of its free-throw attempts, 39.9% of its free throws and 43.6% of its assists last season.

 
2021-22 REWIND

• The Phoenix went 17-12 last season to post its seventh winning season under Charlotte Smith and its first since 2017-18.
• Elon went 9-9 in CAA play to finish tied for fifth in the league. That marked the Phoenix's best finish since placing third in 2017-18.
• Ten of Elon's victories came at Schar Center, its most since moving into the state-of-the-art facility before the 2018-19 season.
• The 2021-22 Phoenix ranked in the top 10 in school history in free-throw percentage (74.2, first), 3-point attempts (563, second), 3-pointers (171, fourth), field-goal percentage (39.9, ninth) and assists per game (12.6, 10th).
• Brie Perpignan led Elon in scoring (16.6 points per game) and assists (5.5 per game), while Kayla Liles paced the team in rebounding (6.2 per game).

 
BONDING ABROAD

• As part of Elon's commitment to diversity and global engagement, the women's basketball team spent eight days in Italy in August.
• In addition to experiencing authentic Italian cuisine and seeing historical sites such as the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Colosseum, the Phoenix scrimmaged a pair of local teams.
• For a team that features seven newcomers, the trip proved incredibly valuable. Said head coach Charlotte Smith: "It came at the perfect time. Because we have so many new faces, it allowed us an opportunity to implement some things in our system and to practice and to play some games internationally before they even played a game in the United States."

 
EDUCATION DAY RETURNS

• For the first time in more than a decade, the Phoenix welcomed local elementary school students to campus for a fun-filled Education Day on Dec. 15.
• The game against Richmond marked the first time that Elon held an Education Day since Jan. 27, 2011.
• The program welcomed more than 2,400 elementary school students from 10 Alamance-Burlington School System schools as well as Burlington Christian Academy and The Burlington School. Overall, 3,087 fans attended the game, marking the largest crowd in Elon's Division I era.
• Although the game between the Phoenix and Spiders was at the center of the festivities, the day also served as an opportunity for students to be introduced to the University and learn more about the importance of education and going to college. Different components of the in-game entertainment addressed that.
• Phoenix players also spent much of December visiting ABSS schools and talking about their experiences as collegiate student-athletes.

 
MAKING MOVES

• Ahead of their 12th season together at Elon, Charlotte Smith announced the promotion of Josh Wick to associate head coach in September.
• Since arriving with Smith as a member of her coaching staff in 2011, Wick has been integral to the women's basketball program's turnaround. In his 11 seasons at Elon, the Phoenix has posted a winning record seven times, including back-to-back 25-win campaigns in 2016-17 and 2017-18.
• In 2016-17, Wick helped the Phoenix to a record-breaking season that saw it win the CAA regular-season and Tournament titles while reaching the first NCAA Tournament in program history. The Phoenix reached the NCAA Tournament the following season, as well, after winning its second straight CAA Championship.

 
SCOUTING UNCW

• UNCW is coming off a historic weekend series with the College of Charleston and North Carolina A&T.
• The Seahawks grabbed a program record 60 rebounds in the 63-47 victory over the Cougars.
• UNCW never trailed in the contest and were led by guard Carrie Gross who scored 20 points as well as junior guard Evan Miller who added 13 points.
• Both Asia Henderson and Lexi Jackson paced the Seahawks with 14 rebounds, with Henderson's tally setting a career high.
• UNCW sits at 5-22 and 2-14 in the CAA following the Sunday loss to NC A&T at the Corbett Center in Greensboro.
• Graduate guard Carrie Gross leads the Seahawks in scoring tallying just under 15 points per game. She has played and started every game for UNCW this season after three years at Xavier University.

 
SCOUTING TOWSON

• Towson is led by first year head coach Laura Harper after she spent two seasons leading the Coppin State Eagles. She has spent time at George Washington and the University of Florida as well. Harper was a member of the 2006 National Champion Maryland Terrapins and was named the MOP of the tournament.
• Towson is coming off back-to-back victories against North Carolina A&T and Charleston with both wins coming by 11 points.
• The Tigers are led by their outstanding wing Kylie Kornegay-Lucas, who comes into the weekend leading the Tigers in scoring (14.1) and assists per game (3.9) and is second the squad in rebounding (7.2).
• Towson is led in the paint by sophomore Quinzia Fulmore, a Greensboro native. After seeing only 13 games a season ago, Fulmore has stepped into her new role and has blossomed. She is coming off a career weekend where she scored a career high 16 points against the Aggies and secured a double-double with 14 points and 10 boards against the Cougars.

 
UP NEXT

• Elon will return SECU Arena for the CAA Tournament beginning March 8. FANS can purchase tickets for the CAA Women's Basketball Championship at https://am.ticketmaster.com/towson/buy#/.