ELON, N.C. – The Elon University men's basketball team continued its unbeaten ways on its home floor as the Phoenix withstood a Monmouth second-half comeback to earn an 83-71 victory over the Hawks on Thursday night, Jan. 23, at Schar Center.
 
Elon (14-6, 5-2 CAA) improved to 8-0 on its home floor, tying its mark for wins at Schar Center all last season. TJ Simpkins scored 26 points off the bench to lead the Phoenix, going 7-of-13 from the field and 11-of-13 from the free-throw line. TK Simpkins added 18 while Nick Dorn (13) and Sam Sherry (12) rounded out the top Phoenix scorers.
 
Monmouth (5-15, 3-4 CAA) was led by Abdul Bashir Jr. and his 22 points. Jack Collins added 16 points and nine rebounds for the Hawks.
 
THE RUNDOWN
• Monmouth held a 12-7 lead after the first media timeout, but TK Simpkins went on a personal 5-0 run to help the Phoenix tie the game at 12-all. The game was tied again at 14-14 before Elon took the lead off a Brayden Crump jump hook near the 12-minute mark of the first half.
• The Hawks retook the lead at 17-16 after a Collins three-pointer. Elon answered back with a 13-2 run to push its lead to double figures, 29-19, following a TK Simpkins three-pointer with 5:22 left in the half.
• Elon led by 11, 31-20, on a TK Simpkins dunk off a steal with 4:16 left in the half. Monmouth would pull as close as eight, 33-25, for the remainder of the first period, but the Phoenix pushed its lead back to double figures, going into the half with a 41-29 advantage.
• The Phoenix had a 47-35 lead after Sherry's putback on a tip-in. Monmouth however went on a 9-0 run to cut its deficit to three, 47-44, after a Bashir Jr. three-pointer. A Sherry basket and a layup from TJ Simpkins gave the Phoenix breathing room and a 51-44 lead.
• The Hawks would tie the game at 51-all after Collins made a layup with 11:28 left in the game. Elon would go up by four, 55-51, but the Hawks kept close, bringing their deficit to two, 58-56, with 8:03 remaining.
• A stepback three from Bashir Jr. gave Monmouth its first lead of the second half, 60-58, as Madison Durr followed with a jumper to put the Phoenix down four, 62-58. Elon was able to bring its lead down to one after Dorn hit a triple to make the score 62-61.
• Monmouth would go ahead by three, 64-61, with just under five minutes remaining in the game. Elon battled back with a 7-0 run to retake the lead as Dorn hit another three to give the Phoenix a 68-64 advantage.
• The game would be tied again at 68-all after Collins converted on another layup for the Hawks, but Elon went back in front for good after Dorn knocked down a pair of free throws at the line. After a defensive stop by the Phoenix, TJ Simpkins added two more from the charity stripe that gave the maroon and gold a four-point cushion, 72-68.
• Monmouth split a pair of free throws with 1:14 left to make it a one-possession contest, 72-69, but a jump hook in the lane by Sherry with 43 seconds left put the Phoenix up five. Both teams traded splitting free throws on the next two possessions with Elon holding a 75-70 lead with 25 seconds to go.
• Elon would close out the contest at the free throw line, with Dorn and TJ Simpkins combining to go 8-for-8 at the charity stripe in the final seconds as the Phoenix earned the 83-71 victory.
 
NOTES
• With the win tonight, Elon surpassed its win total from last season while reaching the most wins in a season since winning 14 games in 2017-18.
• TJ Simpkins's 26 points were one off his season-high of 27 that he scored at ETSU. His 11 makes at the free throw line set a new single-game high for the Brooklyn native.
• Elon held the Hawks to 39 percent shooting (23-of-59) in the game while converting 46 percent of its own shots (25-of-54). It is the 11^th time this season that the Phoenix has held an opponent to less than 40 percent shooting from the floor.
• The win career victory No. 249 for Phoenix head coach Billy Taylor.
• The Phoenix won the battle on the boards (40-31) and in the points in the paint (34-24). TJ Simpkins' performance also helped Elon to a 30-11 advantage in bench points.
• Elon improves to 2-1 all-time versus Monmouth. The win was also the first victory in the series for the host team.
 
UP NEXT
Elon returns to Schar Center on Saturday night, Jan. 25, hosting College of Charleston. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m. and will stream on FloCollege (FloHoops).