ELON, N.C. – The Elon University men's basketball team wraps up its regular season with a contest versus Monmouth on Saturday, March 2 at Schar Center. Tip-off between the Phoenix (13-17, 6-11 CAA) and the Hawks (16-14, 9-8 CAA) is scheduled for 1 p.m.
 
HOW TO FOLLOW
• The game will stream FloHoops via a paid subscription.
• Fans 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 Katie Bennert with the pregame show beginning at 12:30 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.
 
SENIOR DAY
• Elon will honor its three-member student-athlete senior class during pregame versus the Hawks. The Phoenix will recognize Zac Ervin, Rob Higgins and JaDun Michael for their contributions to the program.
 
THE MATCHUP
• The two teams are only meeting for the second time on the basketball hardwood with both programs being in only their second year together in the CAA.
• Elon won the inaugural match last season at Monmouth, 75-68. The Phoenix saw all five of its starters score in double figures with Sean Halloran leading the way with 16 points while adding seven rebounds.
• Max Mackinnon posted his fourth double-double of the season in the game and flirted with a triple-double, finishing with 12 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.
• Elon outrebounded Monmouth 40-31 and had 14 offensive rebounds. The Phoenix also ended the game shooting 48 percent from the field.
 
LAST TIME OUT
• Elon defeated William & Mary, 76-71, in its most recent contest on Thursday. The win snapped a two-game losing skid for the Phoenix while giving the maroon and gold its fourth straight home win over the Tribe.
• TK Simpkins led four players in double figures for the Phoenix with 18 points. He also grabbed a team-high eight boards. Nick Dorn scored 14 for the maroon and gold while going 4-of-10 from three-point range while Mackinnon and Sam Sherry rounded out the double-digit scorers for Elon with 13 and 10 points, respectively.
• The Phoenix trailed at the half, 42-39, but outscored the Tribe 37-29 in the second period.
• Elon ended the game shooting 47 percent from the floor (26-of-55) while knocking down 39 percent of its shots from beyond the arc (9-of-23). The Phoenix won the battle of the boards, 36-29, with 14 of those coming on the offensive end. Elon improves its record to 8-3 with it outrebounds the opponent.
 
SCOUTING ELON
• Elon ranks in the top-five of the CAA in three-point percentage (2^nd, 35.9), three-pointers per game (4^th, 8.6), bench points per game (5^th, 24.67), effective field goal percentage (5^th, 52.5), scoring offense per game (5^th, 73.8) 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 13.0 points per game with the sophomore also pacing the squad in total assists with 81. The Brooklyn, N.Y., native is averaging 17.3 points per game over his last seven games while averaging 5.4 boards per game during that stretch.
• Mackinnon is second behind Simpkins in scoring at 12.5 points per game. The Brisbane, Australia, native is tied for the team-lead in rebounds at 4.7 boards per contest and is second to Simpkins in assists with 78. He has also knocked down 51 three-pointers on the season at a 38.9 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 (57.1) among players with 10 or more makes. Sherry's 32 blocks lead the team and rank seventh overall in the CAA.
• Dorn is also averaging 9.5 points per game. The Charlotte native is the team leader in three-point field goals with 57 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 MONMOUTH
• The Hawks come into Saturday's matchup at 16-14 on the season while sitting with a 9-8 ledger in the CAA standings. Monmouth is coming off a 64-56 setback at Hampton in its most recent contest on Thursday.
• Monmouth is averaging 71.9 points on 42.6 percent shooting, including 35.3 percent from three-point range, with 35.5 rebounds, 12.8 assists, 7.2 steals and 3.5 blocks per game, while allowing 72.5 points on 42.4 percent shooting, including 34.0 percent from three-point range. The Hawks are connecting on 70.5 percent from the free throw line and ranks 50^th in the nation in fastbreak points per game at 12.90.
• Xander Rice is one of the top scorers in the nation as the graduate student is one of two members of the program averaging double figures. Rice is averaging 20.5 points per game and ranks 11^th overall in the nation in total points with 615. His scoring average is 24^th overall in the country while he is the CAA leader in free throws with 168. He is also one of the team's top playmakers, ranking second on the team in assists with 104 behind Jakari Spence's 118.
• Sophomore Jack Collins is the second member of the Hawks scoring in double figures at 10.7 points per game. A 2023 CAA All-Rookie Team selection, Collins is second behind Rice in three-pointers made with 60 while sitting second on the team in rebounds per game at 6.5. Redshirt freshman Jaret Valencia is second in the CAA in blocked shots (51) and blocks per game (1.7).
• King Rice is in his 13^th season leading the Monmouth men's basketball program. The winningest coach in school history, Rice has won 205 games in his career while earning three MAAC Coach of the Year honors and three MAAC regular season titles. He has won the John McLendon National Coach of the Year honor, while being named a finalist for the Ben Jobe Award.
 
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
The Phoenix begins play at the 2024 Jersey Mike's CAA Men's Basketball Championship, beginning next week on Friday, March 8 at the Entertainment & Sports Arena in Washington, D.C. Elon is locked in as the No. 11 seed for the upcoming tournament and will play next Friday at 4:30 p.m. versus the No. 14 seed. The game will air on FloHoops.