Elon University Athletics

NEW YORK – The Elon men's basketball team led from start to finish Monday night as the Phoenix opened the 2026-27 season with an 84-71 road victory over Columbia at Levien Gymnasium.
 
Josh Dalton scored a career-high 21 points in his Elon debut, while Hunter Harding posted career highs with 15 points, eight rebounds and eight assists in his first game with the Phoenix. Bryson Cokley added 13 points as Elon shot 55% from the field and 58.3% from 3-point range.
 
The Phoenix built a 12-point halftime advantage and never allowed Columbia closer than eight in the second half.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Dalton got Elon started with a 3-pointer on the game's opening possession before baskets from Cokley and Harding helped the Phoenix build an early 7-2 advantage.
• Elon took its first double-digit lead at 21-11 on a Randall Pettus II layup with 11:46 remaining in the first half. The Phoenix forced 10 Columbia turnovers in the opening 20 minutes and scored 10 points off those miscues.
• The Lions pulled within 30-25 with 3:51 to play before halftime, but Elon answered by closing the period on a 10-3 run. Dalton scored four points during the stretch, Harding added a layup and Cokley beat the halftime buzzer with a layup to send the Phoenix into the locker room ahead 40-28.
• Elon quickly pushed the lead to 15 early in the second half. Dalton opened the period with a dunk, Harding knocked down a 3-pointer and Raúl Villar followed with a jumper to put the Phoenix ahead 47-32.
• Columbia made its strongest push midway through the half, cutting the Elon advantage to 58-50 on a Josh Pratt 3-pointer with 11:09 remaining.
• The Phoenix responded by scoring nine of the next 13 points. Caleb Zhu got the run started with a layup before Villar scored in the paint and Cam Thrower knocked down a 3-pointer to push the lead back to 67-54.
• Elon put the game away with another surge in the closing minutes. Dalton converted a three-point play before Isaiah Mbeng buried a 3-pointer off Harding's eighth assist of the night, giving the Phoenix its largest lead at 77-59 with 4:51 remaining.
• Columbia never got closer than 12 the rest of the way as Elon finished off the 13-point season-opening victory.

 
NOTES AND STATS

• Elon improved to 4-1 in season openers under head coach Billy Taylor. Monday marked the Phoenix's first season-opening road victory during Taylor's tenure.
• The Phoenix has now won its first road game of the season in back-to-back years.
• Elon never trailed Monday night. There were no ties or lead changes, and the Phoenix led for 39:35 of the game's 40 minutes.
• Dalton scored a career-high 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting in his Elon debut. His previous career high was 15 points for Loyola Marymount at Pepperdine on Feb. 14, 2026. The sophomore also grabbed eight rebounds, blocked two shots and recorded a steal without committing a turnover. He went 2-of-3 from 3-point range and 3-of-3 at the free throw line.
• Harding established career highs in points (15), rebounds (eight) and assists (eight). He shot 7-of-11 from the field and did not commit a turnover in 24 minutes.
• The Phoenix recorded assists on 22 of its 33 made field goals. Elon's 22 assists were tied for the third-most in a single game during the Billy Taylor era and were the most by the Phoenix since recording 22 at Hofstra on Jan. 17, 2026.
• Harding's eight assists were a game high, while Villar added seven assists without a turnover. The duo combined for 15 of Elon's 22 assists and did not commit a turnover.
• Cokley added 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting and went 2-of-2 from 3-point range.
• Thrower scored nine points and dished out three assists off the bench, while Pettus II added eight points and two steals.
• Freshman Caleb Zhu made his collegiate debut, finishing with four points, four rebounds and a game-high three blocked shots in 15 minutes.
• Elon shot 33-of-60 (55%) from the field, including 7-of-12 (58.3%) from beyond the arc, and made 11-of-12 (91.7%) attempts at the free throw line.
• Elon outscored Columbia 50-38 in the paint and blocked seven shots. The Phoenix and Lions finished even on the glass with 31 rebounds apiece.
• Columbia shot 47.4% from the field but was limited to 2-of-9 (22.2%) shooting from 3-point range. Josh Pratt and Gerard O'Keefe led the Lions with 14 points apiece.

 
UP NEXT
The Phoenix plays its home opener against UNCG at Schar Center on Friday, Nov. 6. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. ET.
 
TICKETS ON SALE
Season tickets, single-game tickets and flex packs for the 2026-27 Elon men's basketball season are on sale at ElonTickets.com.
 
SUPPORT THE PHOENIX
Fans can support Elon men's basketball through the Phoenix Club.
 
STAY POSTED
For further coverage of Elon men's basketball, follow the Phoenix on X (@ElonMBasketball) and Instagram (@ElonMBasketball).