ELON, N.C. – The Elon University men's basketball team begins its final week of the regular-season, hosting William & Mary on Thursday night, Feb. 29 at Schar Center. Game time between the Phoenix (12-17, 5-11 CAA) and the Tribe (8-21, 3-13 CAA) is scheduled for 7 p.m.
 
HOW TO FOLLOW
• The game will air on the CBS Sports Network with John Fanta and John Giannini on the call. Thursday will be the Phoenix's fourth game on the national network this season and its first at home.
• Fan can also 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 analyst Bryson Byrnes 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.
 
MARKETING PROMOTIONS
• Fans will be entertained at halftime by K9s in Flight "homeless to highflying" Frisbee Dog Entertainment! All of the K9s in Flight stars have been rescued or adopted from streets and shelters around the country
• Aside from the dynamic entertainment value, the show emphasizes the great need and importance of pet adoption and the special bond between humans and our four-legged friends!
 
THE MATCHUP
• Elon and William & Mary will meet for the second time this season as the Tribe will look for the season series sweep against the Phoenix. William & Mary leads the all-time series over the Phoenix, 20-8, going into Thursday's contest, but Elon has won the past three meetings at Schar Center.
• Both teams last met on Jan. 4 with the Tribe coming away with a 77-70 victory over the Phoenix in the CAA-opener for both teams. The win was the third straight for William & Mary over the Phoenix and its third win out of its last four contests.
• Elon trailed at the half, 33-27, but kept up the Tribe in the second half, being outscored slightly 44-43. The Phoenix saw three players score in double figures with Rob Higgins leading the way with a game-high 19 points. Max Mackinnon added 14 points while Nick Dorn contributed with 13 off the bench.
• Elon held the Tribe to 6-of-21 shooting from three-point range. William & Mary came into the contest ranked 35th in the nation in three-pointers made at 9.5 per game.
 
LAST TIME OUT
• The Phoenix closed out its three-game road trip at Hofstra last Saturday with the Pride coming away with an 87-64 win over Elon.
• Elon opened the game with an early 9-5 lead over the hosts, but the Pride responded to take a 20-15 advantage by the under-12 media timeout in the first half. Hofstra continued to expand its lead to 47-30 at the half and did not see its advantage fall below 15 points during the second period.
• TK Simpkins had 24 points to lead the Phoenix in his return to his home state. The Brooklyn, N.Y., native had six rebounds and four assists while going a perfect 10-of-10 at the free throw line.
 
SCOUTING ELON
• Elon ranks in the top-five of the CAA in three-point percentage (2^nd, 35.8), three-pointers per game (4^th, 8.6), bench points per game (4^th, 24.93), effective field goal percentage (5^th, 52.4), scoring offense per game (5^th, 73.7), steals per game (5^th, 6.2) and three-point attempts per game (5^th, 24.0).
• Three players are averaging double-digits for the Phoenix while three others are averaging over seven points per game. Simpkins is leading the team at 12.8 points per game with the sophomore also pacing the squad in total assists with 79. Simpkins added his third 20-point game of the season versus the Pride and has scored in double figures in five of the last six games, averaging 17.2 points per game during that stretch.
• Mackinnon is second behind Simpkins in scoring at 12.5 points per game with both players tied for the team-lead in scoring during league play at 13.1 ppg. The Brisbane, Australia, native is the Phoenix's leading rebounder at 4.7 boards per contest and is second to Simpkins in assists with 73. He has also knocked down 50 three-pointers on the season at a 39.4 percent clip.
• Sherry is just outside the double-digit average at 9.5 points per game. The junior is second on the team in field goal percentage (57.2) among players with 10 or more makes. Sherry's 31 blocks lead the team and rank seventh overall in the CAA.
• Dorn is averaging 9.3 points per game. The Charlotte native is the team leader in three-point field goals with 53 while hitting 37 percent of his attempts from downtown.
• 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 Zac 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 Deandre 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 WILLIAM & MARY
• The Tribe is 8-21 going into Thursday, including a 3-13 mark in CAA play. William & Mary has lost eight in a row after a 75-62 setback at Stony Brook last Saturday. The Tribe's last win came at Northeastern on Jan. 27, 72-68.
• William & Mary is averaging 69.4 points on 41.0 percent shooting, including 31.4 percent from three-point range, with 35.0 rebounds, 11.9 assists, 4.8 steals and 1.7 blocks per game, while allowing 72.5 points on 44.7 percent shooting, including 33.4 percent from three-point range. The Tribe is connecting on 71.4 percent from the free throw line and ranks 24^th in the nation in three-point attempts per game (27.1).
• Three players for the Tribe that have appeared in more than three games are averaging in double figures. Five others are averaging between 7.6 and 7.1 points per game. Sophomore Trey Moss leads the team with his 13.6 points per game while shooting 41.4 percent from the field. Junior Gabe Dorsey is close at 13.4 points per game and is eighth overall in the nation in three-point makes (93) and third in three-point attempts (258). He is averaging 3.21 three-pointers per game, 13^th in the country.
• Sophomore Chase Lowe is averaging 12.3 points per game and is the Tribe's top rebounder at 6.9 boards per contest. He also ranks 47^th in the country in free throw attempts at 165.
• Dane Fischer is in his fifth season leading the William & Mary men's basketball program. During his time in Williamsburg, Fischer-coached players have earned a CAA Player of the Year, a CAA Defensive Player of the Year, a CAA Rookie of the Year, three All-CAA selections, three CAA All-Rookie Team choices and four CAA All-Defensive Team picks. In two of his four seasons, the Tribe had two of the five players selected to the league's top defensive team.
 
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 closes out the regular-season with a home game versus Monmouth on Saturday, March 2. Game time for that contest is scheduled for 1 p.m. as the Phoenix will host Senior Day and honor its three-person class of Zac Ervin, Rob Higgins and JaDun Michael.