ELON, N.C. – The Elon University men's basketball team closes out its home schedule this Saturday, Feb. 22 with a matchup versus William & Mary at Schar Center. Game time between the Phoenix (17-11, 8-7 CAA) and the Tribe (16-11, 10-4 CAA) is scheduled for 7 p.m.
 
HOW TO FOLLOW
• The game will stream on FloCollege (FloHoops) via a paid subscription.
• Listen to the Elon Sports Network from Learfield IMG College's coverage on The Varsity Network App. Longtime voice of the Phoenix, Taylor Durham, will be on the call along with analyst Will Roberson as the pregame show begins 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 X (formerly Twitter) by following @ElonMBasketball.

SENIOR DAY
• The team will recognize four seniors in a pregame ceremony on Saturday, including senior managers Charlie Bodor and Will Ferris as well players Otto Luessenhop and Sam Sherry.
 
THE MATCHUP
• Saturday will be the second meeting of the season between the two teams and the 31^st all-time. William & Mary holds a 21-9 advantage over Elon and has won four of the past five games.
• The two teams last played on Jan. 9 earlier this season at William & Mary with the Tribe coming away with a 78-65 win over the Phoenix. Elon had four players reach double figures with Sam Sherry leading the way with 14 points and 11 rebounds. TJ Simpkins had 13 while Nick Dorn added 12. Matthew Van Komen rounded out the Phoenix top scorers with 10.
• Elon has won four straight versus William & Mary on its home floor. Last season, the Phoenix came away with a 76-71 win over the Tribe at Schar Center. TK Simpkins nearly had a double-double with 18 points and eight rebounds while Nick Dorn had 14 points with four three-pointers.
 
LAST TIME OUT
• The Phoenix won its second straight game after defeating CAA-leader Towson 69-63 on Thursday night. The win snapped the Tigers' 12-game winning streak while also giving the Phoenix its second win in a row against the top-two teams in the CAA standings after its victory at UNCW last Saturday.
• The Simpkins twins combined for 47 points to lead the Phoenix with TK Simpkins scoring a game-high 28 points while going 8-of-14 from the field and 5-of-8 from three-point range. TJ Simpkins added 19 points.
• Both teams played a close first half with seven ties and six lead changes. Towson led by as much as six, 18-12, in the opening period, but a 10-2 run from the maroon and gold helped the Phoenix take a 22-20 lead.
• Towson would tie the game at 34-34 after a jumper in the paint with 2:22 left in the first half. Elon came back with a 5-0 run to go ahead 39-34 before a last-second putback by the Tigers trimmed the Phoenix's lead to three, 39-36, going into the break.
• The second half continued to go back and forth with eight lead changes and three ties. Towson took a 61-58 lead with just over four minutes left in the game, but an 8-0 run sparked by the Simpkins twins gave the Phoenix the lead for good, 66-61, before Elon closed out with the 69-63 win.
• Matthew Van Komen nearly had a double-double with eight points and eight rebounds while also blocking three shots. It was the 19th game this season with two or more blocks for the Lehi, Utah, native
 
SCOUTING WILLIAM & MARY
• Under first-year head coach Brian Earl, the Tribe is 16-11 on the season and 10-4 versus CAA foes. William & Mary has won two in a row after earning a 72-59 win over Drexel in its most recent game last Saturday.
• William & Mary is averaging 78.5 points on 45.6 percent shooting, including 34.6 percent from 3-point range, with 35.2 rebounds, 16.7 assists, 7.0 steals and 1.7 blocks per game, while allowing 75.5 points on 44.6 percent shooting, including 32.5 percent from 3-point range. The Tribe is connecting on 72.3 percent from the free throw line.
• The Tribe ranks ninth in the country in bench points per game at 32.74 and 14^th in fastbreak points per contest (15.0). William & Mary is also one of the top three-point shooting teams in the country, ranking eighth in triples per game (30.2) and 11^th in treys per contest (10.4).
• Three players are scoring in double figures for the Tribe with Gabe Dorsey leading the way with her 13.0 points per game. The senior is also one of William and Mary's leading three-point shooter, knocking down 81 treys at 41.8 percent. Senior Noah Collier is second on the team at 12.2 points per game while pulling down a team-high 5.0 boards per contest. Kyle Pulliam is the other double-figure scorer for the Tribe at 10.1 points per game.
• The 32nd head coach to lead the William & Mary men's basketball program, Earl spent the previous seven seasons as the head coach at Cornell, where he led the Big Red to numerous offensive milestones and its first-ever NIT bid this year. During his eight-year head coaching career, Earl has amassed a record of 104-110 overall with three winning seasons.
 
TAYLOR HONORED WITH HUGH DURHAM AWARD MIDSEASON COACHING HONOR
• Elon head coach Billy Taylor was honored as the recipient of the midseason Hugh Durham Award as announced by CollegeInsider.com on Jan. 16. The Hugh Durham Award is presented annually to the top mid-major college basketball coach in Division I.
• Taylor has led the Phoenix to one of its best starts in its Division I history this season as Elon is 16-11 on the year. Among the notable victories this season for the Phoenix includes Elon's 84-77 win at Notre Dame on Nov. 22. It was Elon's first win over a Power 4 opponent since 2012 and its first win over an ACC foe since 2005.
• The Hugh Durham Award is presented annually to the nation's top mid-major coach. The award is named in honor of Hugh Durham who had retired at the end of the 2004-05 season. Durham is one of just twelve coaches to have led two different programs to the NCAA Final Four (Florida State in 1972 and Georgia in 1983). He is the only coach among that group to have led both schools to their lone Final Four appearance.
 
ELON BASKETBALL LIVE IS BACK
• Elon Basketball Live presented by Select Bank is back on Monday nights at MaGerks Pub and Grill in Elon, N.C., coinciding with the start of the new calendar year and the Phoenix's start in CAA basketball play. The show will run from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Monday nights with a couple of schedule exceptions.
• Elon Basketball Live is the exclusive chance for fans to hear directly from head women's basketball coach Charlotte Smith and head men's basketball coach Billy Taylor all winter long. The longtime voice of the Phoenix, Taylor Durham, will chat with both Smith and Taylor, along with player guests, about recent and upcoming games.
• Fans are invited to attend the broadcast live and can also listen via The Varsity Network app on their phone or smart device. The show will also be available on Tuesday morning via The Voices of Elon Athletics Podcast on Spotify.
 
PRESEASON PRAISE
• Junior guard TK Simpkins was named to the 2024-25 Preseason All-CAA as the league announced its preseason awards on Oct. 18. Simpkins is the second Phoenix to earn a spot on the All-CAA preseason team in the past two seasons.
• The Brooklyn, N.Y., native was the Phoenix's top scorer at 13.8 points per game and in total assists with 90. He also finished second on the squad at 4.7 rebounds per game while pacing the Phoenix in free throws made at 128 while hitting 74 percent from the charity stripe.
• During the CAA season, Simpkins upped his scoring average to 14.6 per game and tied for the team-lead in rebounds per contest (4.9) while dishing out 3.7 assists per game. He was also active on the defensive end, recording 45 steals on the season. He scored in double figures 21 times in 2023-24.
 
2023-24 REWIND
• The Phoenix returned nine players from its squad a season ago including three starters. Overall, Elon brings back 54 percent of its scoring, 66 percent of its rebounding, 43 percent of its assists and 41 percent of its three-point field goals from 2023-24.
• Elon is coming off a season ranking third in the CAA in three-point field goal percentage (35.2), fourth in three-point attempts (24.4) and fourth in steals per game (6.3). The Phoenix also posted its first winning record on its home floor at Schar Center for the first time in the seven-year facility (excluding the truncated 2020-21 COVID season).
• Along with Simpkins, Elon's other returning starters are senior forward Sam Sherry and sophomore guard Nick Dorn. Both players averaged over nine points per game while starting at least 22 games for the maroon and gold.
• Head coach Billy Taylor begins his third season at the helm of the Phoenix men's basketball program. Taylor helped the Phoenix to post its first winning record at the Schar Center last season while also helping the maroon and gold earn a pair of wins versus teams with an RPI/NET rating of 150 in UNCW and Delaware.
 
TICKETS ON SALE
• Single-game tickets are available for purchase on ElonTickets.com. Single-game tickets begin at $20 for men's basketball. Fans are able to purchase a book of 10 ticket vouchers for $100. These vouchers are redeemable for a ticket to any Elon men's regular season home game. Ticket vouchers must be redeemed for a reserved seat ticket prior to entry. This can be done at the Schar Center Box Office during regular business hours (M-F, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.) or starting 90 minutes prior to tipoff.
• Elon men's basketball season tickets are just $170. For Phoenix Club donors at the Elon Society level, courtside seats are $210, and access to the Sunbrella Club is $360. The Sunbrella Club provides private access to a cash bar and food buffet catered by Harvest Table with a rotation of menus for each game.
• For more information, visit ElonTickets.com or call the Elon Ticket Office at 336-278-6750.
 
UP NEXT
The Phoenix wraps up the regular season on the road starting with a contest at Monmouth on Thursday, Feb. 27. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. and will stream on FloCollege (FloHoops).