ELON, N.C. – The Elon University men's basketball team travels to CAA-leader College of Charleston for a Thursday night matchup on Jan. 11. Tipoff between the Phoenix (8-7, 1-1 CAA) and the Cougars (11-4, 2-0 CAA) is scheduled for 7 p.m. at TD Arena.
 
HOW TO FOLLOW
• The game will stream on the 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 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
• Charleston holds a 27-9 advantage over the Phoenix all-time in the series dating back to the 1992-93 season. Since becoming CAA foes in 2014-15, Elon is 4-14 against the Cougars, but three of those victories have come on the road at TD Arena.
• The Cougars have won four straight in the series with Elon's last win coming on Feb. 14, 2021, 66-55.
• The Phoenix fell to Charleston, 88-66, in its most recent contest on Feb. 16, 2023. Torrence Watson scored a season-high 25 points including 20 in the second half. He led a trio of scorers in double figures for the Phoenix with Sean Halloran adding 14 and Sam Sherry contributing with 11.
• The Cougars hit 18 three-pointers against the Phoenix in that game, the most that the Phoenix has given up in a single game at the Division I level.
 
LAST TIME OUT
• Elon continued its unbeaten streak on its home floor as the Phoenix defeated fellow Piedmont Triad rival North Carolina A&T, 77-59, on Thursday at Schar Center.
• Four players scored in double figures, including a near double-double from junior Sam Sherry. The Mechanicsburg, Va., native led the Phoenix with a season-high 20 points while grabbing nine rebounds.
• Sherry was joined in double figures by Rob Higgins, who scored 17 points with eight assists while Nick Dorn had 15 off the bench with five three-pointers. Max Mackinnon rounded out the double-digit scorers for Elon with 13.
• The win improved the Phoenix to 6-0 on its home floor at Schar Center, extending its best start ever at the six-year facility. The 6-0 ledger is Elon's best start at home overall since 2017-18 when the program also began that season 6-0.
 
DORN WINS SECOND STRAIGHT CAA ROOKIE OF THE WEEK HONOR
• For the second straight week and the third time overall this season, Dorn was rewarded as the CAA Rookie of the Week on Monday, Jan. 8. His three CAA Rookie of the Week honors give him the most for any player in the league so far this season.
• Dorn averaged 14.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists in Elon's 1-1 week. The Charlotte native tallied 15 points while tying a season-high with five three-pointers as the Phoenix defeated North Carolina A&T, 77-59. He also netted 13 points in a 77-70 setback at William & Mary. Dorn shot 50% from the floor, including 6-of-13 from beyond the arc, and has scored double digits in four of his past five contests.
 
SCOUTING ELON
• Elon is currently first in the CAA in field goal percentage at 47.2 percent, second in scoring offense at 79.6 points per game and second in the league in effective field goal percentage at 54.4 percent. The maroon and gold is also hitting 37.0 percent of its three-pointers, which is second in the CAA
• The maroon and gold is also in the top 20 of the country in bench points at 31.53 points per game with nine games of scoring 30 or more points off the pine.
• TK Simpkins currently leads the Phoenix in scoring with his 12.3 ppg average. The Brooklyn, N.Y., native has scored in double figures in nine out of the 12 games he has appeared in. He is also second in the CAA in steals per game at 1.7.
• Mackinnon is the second-leading scorer for the Phoenix, averaging 12.1 points per game. The Brisbane, Australia, native is second on the team in total rebounds with 71 (4.7 rpg) and third overall in assists with 36. Mackinnon is also shooting 43.1 percent from downtown, which is the best on the team among players with more than 10 attempts.
• Higgins has picked up his play during CAA play, averaging a team-best 18.0 points in the Phoenix's two games so far. Overall, the Middletown, N.J., native is averaging 11.6 points per game and is shooting 52.5 percent overall from the field. He is also pacing the Phoenix in assists with 48.
• Sherry is the Phoenix's leading rebounder at 5.3 boards per game and shot blocker with 16 rejections this season. The junior is averaging 8.9 points per game and shooting 56.8 percent from the field.
• Dorn is averaging 10.7 points per game for the Phoenix in his rookie campaign. He also leads the team with 31 made three-pointers this season while shooting 39.7 percent from downtown. He has scored in double figures in four of his last five games, averaging 13.6 points per game.
• LA Pratt made his first start of the season for the Phoenix against North Carolina A&T. The sophomore guard is averaging 7.1 points per game and is second on the team with 40 assists and third overall in steals at 16.
• 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, 179-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, 184-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 COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON
• College of Charleston is off to an 11-4 start, including a 2-0 mark in CAA play after a 93-87 win at Stony Brook on Saturday. The Cougars have won seven straight since their last setback at No. 13 Florida Atlantic and are 6-0 at TD Arena.
• Charleston is averaging 79.1 points on 42.5 percent shooting, including 31.9 percent from 3-point range, with 39.5 rebounds, 14.5 assists, 6.5 steals and 3.1 blocks per game, while allowing 74.5 points on 44.2 percent shooting, including 32.9 percent from 3-point range. The Cougars are connecting on 73.3 percent from the free throw line.
• Three Cougars are averaging in double figures led by junior forward Ben Burnham, who is averaging 12.6 points on 45.8 percent shooting. Reyne Smith is averaging 12.3 points on 40.8 percent shooting, including a team-best 44 three-pointers. Ante Brzovic is averaging 11.1 points on 42.1 percent shooting with a team-best 5.9 rebounds per game.
• College of Charleston was picked as the favorite in the 2023-24 CAA Preseason Poll. The Cougars finished the 2022-23 campaign with an overall record of 31-4 on their way to their first CAA title since 2018. The Cougars won twenty-straight contests and an automatic bid to March Madness.
• Pat Kelsey is in his third season at the helm of the CofC program. During his time coaching the Cougars, he has led the team to a 59-23 overall record, spent four weeks ranked in the AP Top 25 poll, peaking at No. 18. and was named the USBWA and NABC District Coach of the Year.
 
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
Elon returns home to host Drexel to kick off a three-game homestand on Saturday, Jan. 13. Start time of that game is slated for 7 p.m. at Schar Center and will stream on FloHoops.