TOWSON, Md. – In a Sunday afternoon matinee where scoring came at a premium, a gutsy defensive play down the stretch by senior forward
Iycez Adams proved crucial in the Elon University women's basketball team snapping a three-game losing streak.
After sophomore guard Raven Preston connected on Elon's first and only three-pointer of the game to give the Phoenix a 40-39 lead with 1:32 remaining, Adams said the big-time triple would prove to be a critical moment, one that lit a fire under the team.
"It was just clutch, she just had ice in her veins," Adams said of Preston's three-pointer. "[Regina Walton] just kicked it to her and she busted it open. That really gave us like, 'OK, it's ours now. Let's truly snatch it, take it from them,' and we all bought into that."
Because the Phoenix went with a four-guard small-ball lineup to apply full-court pressure on Towson's ball-handlers, it meant that the 6'0" Adams was the only true form of backline protection Elon had against the Tigers' bigs.
With four fouls to Adams' name – meaning one more would have resulted in Elon's defensive anchor and block leader fouling out of the contest – and with the Tigers' guards having successfully broken the press, Towson's 6'2" Khady Leye barreled down the lane toward the basket.
However, Adams was back on defense for the Phoenix, standing pat, prepared to take a charge. Although Adams' length might have been unable to match Leye's – who already had scored a team-high 10 points for Towson and taken four trips to the charity stripe – it was the Elon senior forward's defensive IQ that outwitted Leye.
The NCAA recently reduced the restricted-area arc from four feet in the lane to the area directly underneath the basket in women's college basketball. Adams explained that despite the rule change, she still had to focus on how she positioned herself in a fashion that would result in an offensive charge on Leye, and not a defensive blocking foul on herself.
"I made sure I was out of the restricted [arc], and I waited till [Leye] left the ground because earlier, they called me for flopping on the first one I tried to take," Adams said.
"I was like, 'I'm going to make sure it's very evident that this is a charge, I'm going to be very still in the moment.' I was thinking, 'Just, please, let this one go ref,'" Adams laughed.
Leye crashed into Adams, who hit the deck. The whistle blew.
"I was like, 'There's no way this doesn't go our way,' Adams said.
She was right. Adams had successfully drawn a charge, meaning the Phoenix would have a chance to get some breathing room and extend its lead with 1:09 remaining.
Aside from Adams – who notched team-highs with 12 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks – Elon struggled to find scoring from its other usual suspects in Preston, junior guard Laila Anderson and freshman guard
Jayda Angel.
Angel, a typical 10.3 points-per-game scorer, was scoreless with less than five minutes to go in the game. However, the coaching staff decided to trust the true freshman, who has consistently been one of Elon's most reliable closers this year.
Angel's tough shooting afternoon did not affect her effort defensively though. With 4:24 to go, Angel soared in as a help side defender in an effort to deter a Towson drive that appeared to be headed towards an easy layup. With impeccable timing, the 5'8" freshman jumped up and swatted the shot – marking just the third block of her college career – then quickly secured the loose ball rebound.
Angel galloped down the court and euro-stepped her way to a tough driving floater through traffic to give Elon a one point lead. The bucket also marked her first points of the afternoon.
Adams explained that even when shots are not falling – the tilt against the Tigers marked Elon's third lowest shooting performance from the field this season at 26.8% – a key to the Phoenix's success this season has been having the team constantly "speak life into each other."
"Even when shots aren't falling, like today, we always feel like, 'You're good, just keep shooting, keep shooting,' and thank God we did," Adams laughed.
"If you keep speaking life into someone, they're gonna show up in big moments," Adams added. "And Jayda, she's always just been that spark for us. We told her, I told her, personally, 'You're built for moments like this, it's nothing you can't do.'"
Angel's only other field goal of the afternoon came with 42 seconds remaining, and with the shot clock ticking down. The floater gave the Phoenix a 42-39 lead, pushing the lead to a one possession ball game.
In the last two minutes, the Phoenix defense held Towson to just two points. In the fourth quarter, Elon managed to hold the Tigers to eight points. Adams said that Elon's ability to close out a tight game like this was fueled by the team's defensive execution, which has been the heartbeat of the team all season long.
In games decided by 10 points or less, Elon is now 9-3 overall and 4-1 in CAA contests.
"In that moment, it was, 'Who wanted it more? Who is going to work hard for it? Who is going to get on the floor? Who is going to take the charge?'" Adams said. "Who is going to do those things that really take you over the edge in a close game like that, especially when it's a defensive game."
"In the last few moments, coach [Charlotte] Smith and the whole staff was really just honing in on [defense]. They were like, 'This is what they might run, but take away this, this and that,'" Adams added.
The defensive clinic that the Phoenix put on held Towson to 17.4 points below its average point-per-game total. It also tied Towson's second-lowest scoring output of the season, which was set by No. 16 West Virginia.
"Winning defensively was really what put us over the top to get the overall victory in the game," Adams said.
Clutch free throws by Angel and Anderson sealed a 45-41 win for Elon. Once the buzzer sounded, the Phoenix had officially snapped its three-game skid.
"It feels good, just to finally get one," Adams said. "After being on that losing streak, I feel like we really needed this to build up just morality overall."
Elon went 5-1 to open the CAA slate, which was its best start in eight seasons. Adams said she is confident that the Phoenix can and will get back to the same level of play that led to its hot start to the conference season, so long as the team can remove self-imposed obstacles.
"We're the same team," Adams said. "Coach Smith preaches about it all the time. Our biggest caveat is ourselves. Once we get out of our own way, we really thrive on that."
Adams said that if the team can continue playing sound defense, fighting on the glass and sharing the rock, Elon will get back to the high-level team it was just a couple of weeks ago.
"Listening to what coach Smith and the coaching staff said and trusting the process, is what got us out of that three-game losing streak and got us to be successful at the beginning of the season," Adams said. "As long as we continue to play together, share the ball and defend, I think we can compete with anybody in the CAA."
The Phoenix moves to 6-4 in league play and 12-9 overall. Elon will head on the road to Wilmington, North Carolina, for a matchup with UNCW (12-12, 6-5) on Friday, Feb. 14 scheduled for 7 p.m. at Trask Coliseum.
'Rising Phoenix' is a student-led initiative to cover Elon Athletics. Through innovative content creation and storytelling, Elon University students will have the opportunity to highlight the moments, people and events that make an impact, leveraging the athletic department's various web and social media platforms for distribution. Follow Rising Phoenix on X (@EURisingPhoenix) and Instagram (@elonrisingphoenix). Interested in joining this initiative as a content creator (video, graphics, writing, storytelling, or more)? Contact Chase Strawser at cstrawser@elon.edu.
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