Elon Set For Tuesday Night Tilt With Hofstra At Schar Center
ELON, N.C. – Elon University men’s basketball returns to action on Tuesday, Feb. 15, when it hosts Hofstra in a 7 p.m. matchup at Schar Center.
COVERAGE
– Listen to the Elon Sports Network from Learfield’s coverage on The Varsity Network app.
– Longtime voice of the Phoenix, Taylor Durham, will be on the call with coverage beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET with the Carter and Smith Group Countdown to tipoff.
– Elon’s game against Hofstra will be streamed live on FloSports.
– Live Stats are available and can be found by visiting https://elonstats.com.
THE MATCHUP
– Tuesday night marks the 15th meeting between Elon and Hofstra.
– The Phoenix currently trails the Pride in the all-time series, 4-10.
– In the most recent meeting between the two programs on March 8, 2021, Elon defeated Hofstra, 76-58, in the semifinals of the 2021 CAA Tournament to advance to the championship game for the first time in program history.
– Darius Burford led the way for Elon, dropping 19 points on 8-of 16 shooting, adding a career-high six assists and four rebounds on the night.
– Hunter Woods finished with 14 points and seven rebounds, while Hunter McIntosh posted 10 points, four assists and three rebounds in the win.
– Chuck Hannah dropped seven points and a career-high nine rebounds, including a late three to cap the win for the Phoenix.
SCOUTING ELON
– Former CAA All-Rookie honoree Darius Burford is currently leading the team in scoring (12.6 ppg), assists (3.2 apg) and steals (1.7 spg), while being third on the team in rebounding (4.1 rpg). Burford has scored in double figures 15 times and has nabbed at least two steals in 11 games this season. His 14.2 ppg scoring averaging in conference play also ranks seventh in the CAA.
– Junior guard and Preseason All-CAA First Team honoree Hunter McIntosh, ranks second the team in scoring at 12.6 points per game, adding 2.9 assists per contest. McIntosh has scored in double figures in 50 career games, including 16 times this season. He currently ranks in the sixth in the conference in scoring at 14.5 ppg through 13 CAA contests this year. Against JMU on Feb. 10, McIntosh became the 46th player in program history to score 1,000 points in his collegiate career.
– Sophomore center Michael Graham ranks third on the team in scoring (9.4 ppg), while leading the team in rebounding at 6.8 rpg. Graham has registered six double doubles and scored at least 10 points in 14 games this season. His 11.5 ppg scoring output in conference play ranks in the top-25 while his 7.5 rebounding average (6th) and 68.4 field goal percentage (1st) each rank in the top-6 in the CAA.
– Torrence Watson is fourth on the team in scoring 9.2 points per game, adding 3.0 rebounds per contest as well. Watson has gotten to the charity stripe a team-high 61 times this season, knocking down 52 of his attempts for an 85.2 free throw percentage.
– Junior forward Zac Ervin is fifth on the team in scoring, averaging 7.8 points per game, adding 3.0 rebounds per contest. Ervin has knocked down 46 threes while shooting at a 37.7 percent clip from long distance so far this season.
– Junior forward Hunter Woods is chipping in 6.2 points and 4.6 rebounds in 24.8 minutes through 25 games this season. Woods is also currently second on the team in steals this season with 28 total.
– Senior forward Chuck Hannah is averaging 4.7 points and 3.5 rebounds in 23.9 minutes per game.
– Freshman center Sam Sherry has gotten his Elon career off to a solid start, averaging 2.8 points in just under nine minutes of action per game.
– Elon currently ranks in the top-2 in the CAA in 3-point field goal percentage defense (29.9 – 1st), total threes made (233 – 2nd), threes made per game (8.3 – 2nd), field goal percentage defense (42.8 – 2nd) and total assists (341 – 2nd).
– Elon set a program record for points at Schar Center (107), threes made (20) and assists (27) in its home opener against Randolph.
– Seniors Chuck Hannah and Kris Wooten will serve as the team captains for the 2021-22 season.
– This season marks the third for Head Coach Mike Schrage at the helm of the Elon program.
SCOUTING HOFSTRA
– Hofstra enters the contest with an 17-9 overall record and 9-4 record in CAA play after defeating Delaware, 80-66, in its most recent contest. Aaron Estrada led the way for the Pride, dropping 21 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Darlinstone Dubar added 15 points and five boards, while Jalen Ray chipped in 14 points and two assists.
– Speedy Claxton is in the midst of his first season at the helm of the Hofstra program. Claxton is an alum of the Pride’s program, having starred for the team from 1996-2000 before playing for ten years in the NBA.
– The Pride are led by Aaron Estrada who leads the team in scoring at 18.9 ppg and rebounds at 5.6 rpg. Hofstra has also gotten contributions from Zach Cooks (13.8 ppg and 2.8 rpg) and Jalen Ray (13.6 ppg and 3.5 rpg) so far this season.
LAST TIME OUT
– Elon fell to Towson, 86-50, on Saturday, Feb. 12, at SECU Arena in Towson, Md.
– Hunter McIntosh and Zac Ervin led the charge for the Phoenix, each dropping nine points.
– Hunter Woods added six points and a team-high seven rebounds in 28 minutes, while Michael Graham finished with six points and one block.
– Andrew Junkin matched season-highs with six points and two blocks, adding two rebounds in his 15 minutes of play.
– Sam Sherry continued his strong play of late, ending the night with five points and three rebounds in 15 minutes.
– RJ Noord set a new career-high with four points in the contest, adding one rebound in 11 minutes of action.
THE FACES OF 2021-22
– Elon returned three starters in Chuck Hannah, All-CAA Second Team honoree Hunter McIntosh and CAA All-Rookie selection Darius Burford.
– Other returnees for the Phoenix includes seniors Jerald Gillens-Butler, Kris Wooten and Charlie Mendys, juniors Ben Daugherty, Hunter Woods and Zac Ervin, and sophomores Michael Graham and JaDun Michael.
-Additionally, the maroon and gold welcomes five newcomers to the squad in Mizzou transfer Torrence Watson, Mississippi State transfer Andrew Junkin and freshmen RJ Noord, Sam Sherry and Reece Clark.
CAA PRESEASON POLL
– The Colonial Athletic Association announced its preseason poll on Thursday, Oct. 28, with Elon tabbed to finish sixth.
– The Phoenix had two student-athletes earn preseason all-conference honors in Hunter McIntosh (1st Team) and Jerald Gillens-Butler (Honorable Mention).
– Elon earned a total of 202 points in the poll, including one first-place vote.
– Delaware was chosen as the preseason favorite with 296 points and 19 first-place votes, followed by Northeastern with 246 points and seven first-place votes. Drexel (234 points; five first-place votes), James Madison (224 points, three first-place votes) and Hofstra (211 points; one first-place vote) rounded out the top five.
COMING SOON
– Elon is back in action on Feb. 15 when it hosts Hofsta at Schar Center.
– Following that contest, the Phoenix will remain at home as it takes on Delaware (Feb. 17) and Drexel (Feb. 19 – Senior Day) respectively.
– Elon will then round out the 2021-22 regular season against Hofstra (Feb. 24) and Northeastern (Feb. 26).
–ELON–