GREENSBORO, N.C. – The Elon University men's basketball team saw five members score in double figures as the Phoenix grinded out a 75-67 road win at North Carolina A&T on Thursday, Jan. 2, in the CAA opener for the maroon and gold.
 
TJ Simpkins had 19 points to pace the Phoenix (10-4, 1-0 CAA), as Elon won its first CAA road-opener since Jan. 7, 2016, at James Madison. Nick Dorn had 13 points for the maroon and gold while Andrew King added a season-high 11 points. Sam Sherry and Matthew Van Komen contributed with 10 each with Van Komen registering a double-double with 10 rebounds.
 
Landon Glasper had a game-high 22 points to lead the Aggies (4-11, 0-2 CAA) while Jahnathan Lamothe had 16. Nikolaos Chitikoudis had a double-double with 12 points and 15 rebounds while Ryan Forrest had 11.
 
THE RUNDOWN
• Elon trailed the Aggies, 10-4, after a Glasper jumper at the 16:36 mark in the first half. The Phoenix trimmed its deficit to four, 13-9, before N.C. A&T was able to take a seven-point lead, 18-11, after Glasper scored on a turnover.
• The Phoenix kept within distance, pulling back within three, 21-18, after a Sherry bucket with 11:55 left in the opening period. Glasper put the Aggies up 24-20, but a 5-0 run from the Phoenix off a Van Komen dunk and a Dorn three gave Elon its first lead of the game, 25-24.
• North Carolina A&T went back up by three, 30-27, after a three-pointer from Jalal McKie. The Phoenix however went on an 18-4 run to finish off the opening half capped off from back-to-back threes from King. Elon went into the break with a 45-34 lead.
• The Aggies pulled within seven, 45-38, to start the second half, but a couple of baskets in the paint by Van Komen and Sherry put the maroon and gold back up by 11, 49-38. N.C. A&T made it an eight-point game, 50-42, after a layup with 16:18 left to play.
• Elon responded with an 8-0 run to take its biggest lead of the second half, 58-42. The Phoenix kept it a double-digit game, 65-55, after Dorn knocked down a second-chance jumper with 8:15 left to play.
• A 7-0 run by the Aggies over the next two minutes helped make it a one-possession game, 65-62, after Forrest hit a pair of free throws with 6:14 left to play. The Phoenix was able to hold off the hosts defensively over the next two and a half minutes before Simpkins scored on an and-one play with 3:51 remaining to give Elon a 68-62 advantage.
• Another Simpkins jumper put the maroon and gold ahead by eight, 70-62, before the Aggies scored their first bucket in nearly five minutes with a layup with 1:59 left to play. Elon would seal the game at the charity stripe as Simpkins and Isaac Harrell combined to knock down five free throws in the last minute to help the Phoenix pull away with the 75-67 victory.
 
NOTES
• The win was the third in a row for Elon while also giving the Phoenix its first 1-0 start in league play since Dec. 29, 2021, in a 79-62 win over Northeastern. The Phoenix also improved to 4-7 all-time in CAA openers.
• Sherry played in his 100^th career game for the Phoenix while starting his 69^th career contest.
• Elon won the rebounding battle, 48-36, improving to 10-1 when it wins the battle on the glass. The Phoenix gathered 19 offensive boards, moving to 7-2 when it corrals 12 or more second-chance opportunities. Elon scored 26 points off the offensive glass over the Aggies.
• King went 4-of-7 from the field including a career-high 3-of-4 from downtown. The Phoenix, Ariz., native also had six boards and three assists.
• The Phoenix shot 22-of-27 from the free throw line compared to 10-of-16 for the Aggies. Simpkins was 10-of-11 at the charity stripe, setting a season-high for the sophomore.
• Van Komen added his second double-double of the season. The Lehi, Utah, native also had three blocks in the game, his 10^th game with two or more rejections.
• Elon has now won three straight over its Piedmont Triad rival, North Carolina A&T. The Aggies still lead the all-time series at 12-7.
 
UP NEXT
Elon hosts Hampton for its CAA home-opener on Saturday, January 4 at Schar Center. Tip-off time between the Phoenix and the Pirates is scheduled for 7 p.m. and will stream on FloCollege.