Photo Recap: Elon Men's Basketball wins at Notre Dame

VISIT TO GROTTO OF OUR LADY OF LOURDES

SHOOT AROUND AND PREGAME

FIRST HALF

• The Phoenix and Fighting Irish traded buckets early with TK Simpkins getting the scoring started with an and-one finish.
• Simpkins proved to be a tough guard for the Phoenix with the junior guard living in the mid-range early, helping the Phoenix out to a 10-7 lead.
• Andrew King knocked down a pair of jumpers including a three-pointer to push the Phoenix pace. TJ Simpkins answered King's three-point basket with a layup in the pain to give Elon their largest lead of the first half at 17-10.
• Notre Dame's Markus Burton would heat up from behind the three-point line to bring the lead to within one before Notre Dame gained the lead back at 23-22.
• In the final six minutes of the first half, Nick Dorn took the Phoenix offense and kicked it up from behind the arc. Dorn made three straight threes to bring the Phoenix within a point after he scored nine points in two minutes.
• Dorn would score 14 straight points before a fastbreak, two-handed flush brought the Phoenix within three again. Elon would trail 46-41 going into the locker room.

SECOND HALF

• Elon got into the paint right away in the final 20 minutes with TK Simpkins and Sam Sherry scoring in the painted area for the first two buckets of the half.
• Back-to-back jumpers with 15 minutes left from TK and Dorn tied the score at 54. Elon regained the lead with 13 minutes to go when TJ Simpkins reached out for a steal, then in a two-on-one break with his twin, TK found TJ on a lob to give the Phoenix a two-point lead.
• The Phoenix and Fighting Irish continued their back and forth midway through the second half, with Elon and Notre Dame countering every basket.
• Elon continued to control the paint in the second half with consecutive baskets from Sherry to pull ahead again. Sherry expanded the lead with a pair of free throws to lead 70-67 with 5:45 to play.
• In the final two minutes, the Elon offense went to work. A pass from the wing by TK Simpkins found a cutting Nick Dorn who put in a highly contested finish to give the Phoenix a one-point lead.
• After a stop on the defensive end, Isaac Harrell slipped behind the Irish defense and Sherry found him on the cut for a lay in to give the Phoenix a three-point advantage. With 26 seconds to play, TJ Simpkins slipped free on an under-the-basket, out of bounds play for an easy finish to give the Phoenix a two-possession lead.
• Elon would ice the game at the foul-line giving Elon their first win over an ACC school since 2005.

ELON WINS, 84-77!!

The win in South Bend marks the first win for the Phoenix over an ACC school since the Phoenix took down the Clemson Tigers in December of 2005, 74-69 in Littlejohn Coliseum. The victory marks the first Power Four win for Elon since bested South Carolina, 65-53 in Columbia.

Nick Dorn finished one point off his career-high with 24 points at Purcell Pavilion. The Simpkins twins put in more double-figure point performances with TK pouring in 17 points while TJ put in 16 points off the bench, with four coming from the foul line to ice the game for the Phoenix.

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