BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – The Elon University men's basketball team suffered an 80-79 setback at Gardner-Webb on Friday night, Nov. 15, inside Paul Porter Arena.
 
Elon (1-2) had a balanced scoring attack with five players reaching double figures. Nick Dorn and TK Simpkins tied for team-lead honors with 17 points each while TJ Simpkins added 13 points off the bench. Sam Sherry and Isaac Harrell both contributed with 12 for the Phoenix, who shot 47.3 percent from the floor (26-of-55) and 34.8 percent from three-point range (8-of-23).
 
The Runnin' Bulldogs (2-2) had four players score in double digits. Darryl Simmons II had 15 points to pace the Gardner-Webb while Pharell Boyogueno added 14. Anthony Selden had 13 points while Shahar Lazar put up 10 off the bench with the Runnin' Bulldogs finishing the game shooting 44.1 percent from the floor (26-of-59) and 43.5 percent from downtown (10-of-23).
 
THE RUNDOWN
• Elon opened with an 8-5 lead after a Sam Sherry basket with 16:50 left in the opening half. A Nick Dorn and-one play gave the Phoenix a 13-8 advantage with 16:19 left in the first period.
• Gardner-Webb tied the game at 13-all, but Elon went on a 6-0 run to take a 19-13 lead after Brayden Crump converted a three-point play with 13:35 left in the half. The Runnin' Bulldogs would pull within four, 23-19, near the halfway point of the first half.
• The Phoenix would take its largest lead of the period, 30-19, after Isaac Harrell made a pair of free throws. Gardner-Webb would erase that deficit on a 13-3 run to pull within one, 33-32, with just over four minutes before the end of the half.
• Elon got some breathing room with a couple of baskets by Sherry and a pair of free throws by Dorn to give itself a seven-point lead, 39-32. The Runnin' Bulldogs were able to battle back and take the lead, 40-39, after a three-point play by Gardner-Webb's Colin Hawkins with just 15 seconds left in the half.
• Elon got off a shot before the halftime horn, but Harrell's shot went long off the back iron. TJ Simpkins however crashed the boards and gave the Phoenix the lead, 41-40, with a putback dunk before the clock hit zeros to end the opening period.
• Gardner-Webb retook the lead, 45-42, after a three-pointer and a made layup to start the second half. Elon erased its deficit after TK Simpkins scored a pair of buckets and Harrell converted a layup to put the Phoenix ahead 48-45.
• A dunk by the Runnin' Bulldogs tied the game at 55-all with just under 14 minutes remaining. A layup from T Simpkins and a Harrell three-pointer put the maroon and gold up by five, 60-55, but Gardner-Webb kept it a one-possession game after a layup made the score 60-57.
• A Harrell dunk regained the Phoenix's five-point lead, 62-57, before a stepback three from Dorn added to Elon's advantage, 65-57, going into the under-12 media timeout.
• The Phoenix's lead expanded to nine after TK Simpkins split a pair at the line. Gardner-Webb cut its deficit to one, 69-68, after a three-pointer of its own to follow up an 11-5 run.
• Gardner-Webb tied the game at 73-73 on an offensive putback, but the Phoenix took a four-point advantage after a couple of Dorn free throws and a jumper by TK Simpkins. The Runnin' Bulldogs took the lead for good on an Anthony Selden and-one play with 2:24 left to play, putting the Phoenix down 78-77.
• After a layup gave Gardner-Webb an 80-77 lead with 1:17 left to play, the Phoenix trimmed it to one, 80-79, on a TJ Simpkins fastbreak basket before getting the ball back after forcing a Runnin' Bulldogs turnover with 28 seconds remaining.
• Elon had a couple of chances to take the lead in the final second, but Gardner-Webb's strong defense down the stretch held off the maroon and gold with any good looks as the Runnin' Bulldogs held on for the one-point win.
 
NOTES
• The loss snapped the Phoenix's two-game win streak over the Runnin' Bulldogs.
• Harrell made his first start of the season for Elon with the Jonesboro, Ark., native adding five rebounds in 33 minutes.
• Junior Jameel Rideout made his Elon debut in the contest. The Philadelphia native scored three points while playing nine minutes.
• Andrew King led the Phoenix with five assists while also grabbing four rebounds. Dorn led the Phoenix with a career-high six board in the contest.
• Elon outscored Gardner-Webb, 32-28, in points in the paint.
 
UP NEXT
Elon continues its road trip to Northern Illinois next Wednesday, Nov. 20. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m. EST.