Elon Phoenix Fend Off UNCG Spartans; Set to Play Charleston in SoCon SemiFinals

ELON PHOENIX 68, UNCG SPARTANS 61

Junior forward Sebastian Koch spearheaded the Phoenix attack, scoring 15 points as Elon hung on to beat the UNCG Spartans in the SoCon quarterfinal. Junior forward Lucas Troutman added a double for the Phoenix, posting 14 points and corralling 10 rebounds in the victory.

                The win did not come easy for Elon, the #2 seed in the Southern Conference Tournament, but in March there are few stress free games. The game was tightly contested throughout as Elon’s biggest lead of the night was a mere 10 points. Although the 10^th seeded UNCG Spartans were always in striking distance, they only held one lead the entire game; a 19-17 advantage in the first half after junior forward Trevis Simpson drilled a three-pointer.

                The Phoenix’ strong start to the second half was critical. Elon led by just two at intermission but scored the first eight points of the half, including “and-one” layups by forwards Koch and Troutman to give the Phoenix some breathing room.  The Phoenix maintained this advantage for the majority of the second half, and then connected on 7-of-8 free throws in the waning moments of the game to secure the victory.

                The Elon Phoenix (21-10, 13-5) will play the Charleston Cougars (23-9, 14-4) in the SoCon semifinals. The Cougars, the # 3 seed in the Southern Conference Tournament, defeated the Western Carolina Catamounts in the SoCon quarterfinal. The Cougars big men dominated as junior forward Anthony Thomas had a team-high 18 points, while sophomore center Adjehi Baru scored 14 points and posted 13 rebounds.  Junior guard Trey Sumler scored a game 25 points in the loss for the 10^th seeded Catamounts.

Elsewhere in the SoCon Tournament

                Davidson throttled Georgia Southern, 86-59, in a contest that was essentially over by halftime.  The #1 seeded Davidson Wildcats used a balance attack to beat the #9 seeded Georgia Southern Eagles, as Nick Cochran scored 18 points (draining five three pointers in the process) for the Wildcats, while Tyler Kalinoski added 14 points, De’Mon Brooks scored 13, Jake Cohen posted 12 points and Chris Czerapowicz contributed 10 points. Davidson (24-7, 17-1) will play Appalachian State (15-15, 10-8) in the SoCon semifinals.

                Appalachian State cruised to victory over the Furman Paladins, 74-60. The Paladins, the 12^th seed in the tournament, were unable to pull off another upset as the Appalchian State Mountaineers dominated from start to finish. Appalchian State, the #4 seed in the tournament, shot 31 of 57 from the field, including 8 for 21 from behind the arc, to win and advance to the SoCon semifinal round.

Below is an updated bracket for the Southern Conference Tournament

	First Round Friday, March 8					Quarterfinals Saturday, March 9 ESPN3					Semifinals Sunday, March 10 ESPN3					Championship Game Monday, March 11 ESPN2
						1	Davidson	86
						9	Georgia Southern	59
	8	Wofford	44
	9	Georgia Southern	60
											1	Davidson	6:00 pm
										4	Appalachian St
						4	Appalachian St	74
						12	Furman	60
	5	Samford	51
	12	Furman	55
																		7:00 pm
						2	Elon	68
						10	UNC Greensboro	61
	7	Chattanooga	81
	10	UNC Greensboro	87
											2	Elon	8:30 pm
										3	College of Charleston
						3	College of Charleston	78
						6	Western Carolina	70
	6	Western Carolina	76
	11	Citadel	61