Rapid Reaction as the Elon Phoenix (8-7, 1-2) lose a tough battle at Appalachian State (6-8, 2-1), 80-70.
Stars of the Game
Senior forward
Nathan Healy had a tremendous all-around game for the Mountaineers, scoring a
team-high 22 points, while also adding 10 rebounds and four steals. Sophomore
guard Mike Neal drained all three of the three pointers he attempted, connected
on 6 of 9 from the free throw line as he finished with 17 points and three assists.
Junior forward Tevin Baskin gave Appalachian State a huge spark off the bench,
pouring in 16 points and posting 10 rebounds.
Junior forward Ryley Beaumount
scored a career-high 26 points on a remarkably efficient 11 of 13 shooting from
the field, while also corralling 12 rebounds for the Phoenix. Lucas Troutman,
junior forward, was the only other member of the Phoenix to get into double
digits as he chipped in 14 points.
Turning Point I:
Appalachian State Closes First Half Strong
The Elon Phoenix
came out of the gate swinging, building an early double-digit lead on the road. Sophomore guard Austin Hamilton gave the Phoenix
a 12 point lead after connecting on a layup with 10:41 left in the half as the
Mountaineers trailed 21-9. The Mountaineers still trailed by 12 with less than
five minutes to go in the half, 31-19, after sophomore guard Kevin Blake scored
a bucket with 4:57 to go before intermission. But the Mountaineers hung strong
and finished the half on a 15-3 run to tie the score, 34-34, at halftime. Three
pointers by Mike Neal, Chris Burgess and Nathan Healy keyed the Appalachian
State run. Defending the three point shot as become an issue for the Phoenix,
as it allowed Appalachian State to connect on 5 of 11 (45.5 percent) from
behind the arc in the first half and now in the past three halves has let
opponents to shoot a ridiculous 52 percent (13 of 25) from behind the arc. The
Phoenix went into the break tied despite shooting a whopping 57.1 percent from
the field.
Turning Point II:
Mountaineers control second half en route to victory
The Mountaineers
trailed for almost the entirety of the first half but still entered the locker-room
tied. After taking an early lead in this half, the Mountaineers never looked
back, despite the Phoenix making constant pushes at them. Tevin Baskin nailed a
three pointer with 11:39 remaining in the contest to give the Mountaineers a
three point advantage, a lead they would never relinquish. The Phoenix fought
hard and trailed by just two points after junior forward Sebastian Kock made
both of his free throw attempts with 4:48 remaining in regulation to pull the
Phoenix within two points, 63-61, but Mike Neal hit a three pointer on the very
next possession for the Mountaineers. Nathan Healy drained a three with 2:43 to
go to give Appalachian State an eight point lead, 71-63, that proved to be too
much for the Phoenix to come back from.
What It Means
Elon (8-7, 1-2)
began a stretch of four games in seven nights with a loss. The Phoenix has now
dropped six straight contests at the Holmes Center as they lost their second
consecutive game in the conference. Playing in the first conference game in 42
days, the Phoenix were unable to beat Appalachian State, the first team from
the Northern division of the Southern Conference Elon has played all season
long. Things don’t get any easier for the Phoenix as it travels to Western Carolina
to play the Catamounts on Monday Night, who are currently undefeated in
Southern Conference play. Appalachian State (6-8, 2-1) hosts UNC Greensboro on
Monday night in a Southern Conference clash.
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