ELON, N.C. – The Elon University men's basketball team begins a six-game road trip with a visit to Gardner-Webb on Friday night, Nov. 15. The Phoenix (1-1) and the Runnin' Bulldogs (1-2) are scheduled for a 7 p.m. tipoff at Paul Porter Arena.
 
HOW TO FOLLOW
• The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
• Listen to the Elon Sports Network from Learfield IMG College's coverage on The Varsity Network app.
• Longtime voice of the Phoenix, Taylor Durham, will be on the call 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 by following @ElonMBasketball.
 
THE MATCHUP
• Gardner-Webb leads the all-time series over the Phoenix, 23-12, with both teams meeting for the first time since 2010.
• Elon however has won the past two contests versus the Running' Bulldogs including a 90-82 verdict in the most recent game on Dec. 7, 2010, in Alumni Gym. Roger Dugas dumped in a career-high 21 points on 8-of-10 from the field, knocking down a perfect 4-of-4 from beyond the arc. The forward also pulled down a personal-best and game-high 10 rebounds. Drew Spradlin led all scorers with 23 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field.
• The Phoenix's last game at Gardner-Webb came on Feb. 20, 2010, as Elon came away with an 84-79 victory in an ESPNU BracketBusters contest. Chris Long scored a game-high 24 points on 14-of-17 from the line while dishing off seven assists. Drew Spradlin drained 8-of-12 from the field for 18 points and added eight rebounds.
 
LAST TIME OUT
• The Phoenix defeated Bluefield in its home opener last Saturday night, Nov. 9, with Elon coming away with a 103-66 win at Schar Center.
• TJ Simpkins led a balanced Phoenix attack offensively with 21 points off the bench while Nick Dorn added 16. TK Simpkins contributed with 14 points while Matthew Van Komen (13) and Sam Sherry (12) also reached the double-digit plateau.
• The contest was a one-possession game for the first seven-plus minutes as neither team garnered a lead larger than two points. Bluefield held a 13-12 lead over the Phoenix at the 12:42 mark in the opening half before an 18-0 run by the maroon and gold opened the game up.
• The Rams would cut their deficit back to single digits once more, 34-25, with 5:14 left in the first period, but the Phoenix closed out the half on a 19-8 run to take a 53-33 lead going into the break.
• The Phoenix (1-1) scored 100 points for the 17th time in school history at the Division I level and for the fourth time under head coach Billy Taylor. It also marked the first 100-point game since scoring 104 points versus Bridgewater on Dec. 15, 2023.
• The Phoenix connected on 53 percent of its shots (35-of-66), which included 12 three-pointers and 40 points in the paint, while the defense held the Rams to 35 percent (24-of-68) shooting.
 
SCOUTING GARDNER-WEBB
• The Runnin' Bulldogs are 1-2 on the season after being handed an 83-64 defeat at Pitt on Monday, Nov. 11. Friday will be Gardner-Webb's home opener after opening its season at No. 12 Tennessee on Nov. 4 and at North Carolina Central, where the Runnin' Bulldogs earned their first win of the season with an 88-82 win.
• Gardner-Webb was selected to finish sixth overall in the 2024-25 Big South Preseason poll after coming off a 17-16 campaign a year ago including an 11-5 ledger in conference play.
• The Runnin' Bulldogs are averaging 72 points per game on 50.0 percent shooting, including 33.3 percent from 3-point range, while allowing 81.7 points on 48.9 percent shooting, including 30.1 percent from long range. Gardner-Webb is shooting 64 percent from the free throw line while also averaging 34 rebounds per game.
• Sophomore guard Daryl Simmons II paces the squad in scoring at 17.3 points per game on 58 percent shooting. He is one of two players averaging in double figures along with graduate student Anthony Selden (16.3 ppg.). Senior Isaiah Richards leads the Runnin' Bulldogs in rebounds at 8.3 boards per contest.
• Jeremy Luther is in his first season as the head coach at Gardner-Webb. Prior to his appointment to head coach, Luther spent 11 seasons as a member of GWU's coaching staff, serving as associate coach. Luther is a Tallahassee, Fla., native with 23 seasons of experience on the college sidelines, including six seasons as a head coach at a pair of NCAA Division II programs. He forged an 82-80 overall record in those two head coaching stops at Armstrong State (51-56) and Newberry (33-24).
 
PRESEASON PRAISE
• Junior guard TK Simpkins was named to the 2024-25 Preseason All-CAA as the league announced its preseason awards on Oct. 18. Simpkins is the second Phoenix to earn a spot on the All-CAA preseason team in the past two seasons.
• The Brooklyn, N.Y., native was the Phoenix's top scorer at 13.8 points per game and in total assists with 90. He also finished second on the squad at 4.7 rebounds per game while pacing the Phoenix in free throws made at 128 while hitting 74 percent from the charity stripe.
• During the CAA season, Simpkins upped his scoring average to 14.6 per game and tied for the team-lead in rebounds per contest (4.9) while dishing out 3.7 assists per game. He was also active on the defensive end, recording 45 steals on the season. He scored in double figures 21 times in 2023-24.
 
2023-24 REWIND
• The Phoenix returned nine players from its squad a season ago including three starters. Overall, Elon brings back 54 percent of its scoring, 66 percent of its rebounding, 43 percent of its assists and 41 percent of its three-point field goals from 2023-24.
• Elon is coming off a season ranking third in the CAA in three-point field goal percentage (35.2), fourth in three-point attempts (24.4) and fourth in steals per game (6.3). The Phoenix also posted its first winning record on its home floor at Schar Center for the first time in the seven-year facility (excluding the truncated 2020-21 COVID season).
• Along with Simpkins, Elon's other returning starters are senior forward Sam Sherry and sophomore guard Nick Dorn. Both players averaged over nine points per game while starting at least 22 games for the maroon and gold.
• Head coach Billy Taylor begins his third season at the helm of the Phoenix men's basketball program. Taylor helped the Phoenix to post its first winning record at the Schar Center last season while also helping the maroon and gold earn a pair of wins versus teams with an RPI/NET rating of 150 in UNCW and Delaware.
 
 
TICKETS ON SALE
• Single-game tickets are available for purchase on ElonTickets.com. Single-game tickets begin at $20 for men's basketball. Fans are able to purchase a book of 10 ticket vouchers for $100. These vouchers are redeemable for a ticket to any Elon men's regular season home game. 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.
• Elon men's basketball season tickets are just $170. For Phoenix Club donors at the Elon Society level, courtside seats are $210, and access to the Sunbrella Club is $360. The Sunbrella Club provides private access to a cash bar and food buffet catered by Harvest Table with a rotation of menus for each game.
• For more information, visit ElonTickets.com or call the Elon Ticket Office at 336-278-6750.
 
UP NEXT
Elon continues its road trip to Northern Illinois next Wednesday, Nov. 20. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m. EST.