PHILADELPHIA – The Elon University men’s basketball team won the first game of its current two-game road trip with a 65-54 victory at Drexel on Thursday evening, Jan. 16, at the Daskalakis Athletic Center.
Sam Sherry led three Phoenix players in double figures with 19 points while just missing out on another double-double with nine boards for Elon (13-5, 4-1 CAA). The Simpkins brothers, TJ and TK, scored 15 each, as Elon won its first game at Drexel since 2017.
The Dragons (10-8, 2-3 CAA) saw three players reach double figures with Kobe MaGee leading the way with 17 points. Jason Drake had 15 while Yame Butler added 11.
THE RUNDOWN
• The Dragons opened the game with a 6-2 lead before Elon cut its deficit to two, 8-6, by the first media timeout with 15:49 on the clock.
• A Sherry three-pointer after the timeout gave the Phoenix the lead it would not relinquish for the remainder of the opening period. Back-to-back threes from TK Simpkins put the maroon and gold up 17-10, but Drexel sliced its deficit to two, 17-15, before the second media timeout.
• A 9-0 run by Elon put the Phoenix ahead 26-15. TK Simpkins hit his third triple of the half followed by baskets from Sherry, Nick Dorn and Andrew King. Drexel cut it down to a seven-point game, 26-19, but a Sherry and-one play put the maroon and gold back up by double-digits, 29-19.
• The Phoenix led by 10, 31-21, but Drexel responded with a 7-1 run to come within four, 32-28, with 1:27 left in the opening period. A TJ Simpkins three and a layup from King gave Elon some breathing room, 37-38, but the Dragons hit a three-pointer at the first half horn to trim the Phoenix’s lead to six, 37-31, going into the break.
• Both teams were in an offensive lull to start the second half, not scoring until after four minutes ticked off the clock when Hargrove made a second-chance layup. The Dragons scored again with 15 minutes left in the game to pull within two, 37-35.
• Elon broke its offensive stalemate after Kendall Campbell scored on a basket in the paint. That started an 8-2 run for the Phoenix, who was able to regain a double-digit advantage, 47-37, after a pair of free throws by Brayden Crump.
• Drexel answered with an 8-2 run of its own for the next three-plus minutes. Back-to-back threes by MaGee and Butler made it a four-point game, 49-45, with 7:18 left to play as Elon called a timeout to slow down the momentum.
• Butler hit a three with 5:23 left to pull the Dragons within three, 53-50, making it a one-possession game. Elon responded with a 10-3 run go back ahead by 10, 63-53, after consecutive layups from TJ Simpkins.
• That run essentially killed the momentum for the hosts as the Phoenix would tall a couple more points on a pair of Dorn free throws to earn the 65-54 win.
NOTES
• TK Simpkins scored 15 points off the pine for the Phoenix in his second game back from injury. The Brooklyn, N.Y., native tied a season-high with four three-pointers made, going 4-of-6 from downtown.
• The win was the Phoenix’s fifth true road win of the season. It’s the most for the program since going 6-7 in 2018-19.
• Elon outscored the Dragons in the paint, 32-20, and also outrebounded Drexel, 33-25. The Phoenix now improves to 13-2 this season when it wins the battle on the glass.
• With its 13th win this season, Elon matches its entire win total from last season. It’s 4-1 ledger in the CAA is the program’s best mark since joining the league.
UP NEXT
Elon closes out its two-game road swing with a visit to Delaware on Saturday, Jan. 18. Game time is scheduled for 2 p.m. and will stream on FloCollege (FloHoops).
— ELON —
