Phoenix Soars to Victory Over Dragons in Thrilling 65-54 Showdown!

PHILADELPHIA – The Elon University men’s basketball squad triumphed in the opening match of its ongoing two-game away series, securing a 65-54 win against Drexel on Thursday night, Jan. 16, at the Daskalakis Athletic Center.
 
Sam Sherry topped three Phoenix players in double digits with 19 points while narrowly missing a double-double with nine rebounds for Elon (13-5, 4-1 CAA). The Simpkins siblings, TJ and TK, netted 15 each, marking Elon’s first victory at Drexel since 2017.
 
The Dragons (10-8, 2-3 CAA) had three players achieve double figures, led by Kobe MaGee with 17 points. Jason Drake contributed 15 while Yame Butler added 11.
 
THE RUNDOWN
• The Dragons started the game with a 6-2 advantage before Elon narrowed the gap to two, 8-6, by the first media timeout at 15:49 on the clock.
• A three-pointer from Sherry after the timeout gave the Phoenix the lead which they maintained for the rest of the first period. Consecutive threes from TK Simpkins extended the maroon and gold’s lead to 17-10, but Drexel cut its deficit to two, 17-15, prior to the second media timeout.
• An explosive 9-0 surge by Elon saw the Phoenix take a 26-15 lead. TK Simpkins made his third triple of the half, followed by baskets from Sherry, Nick Dorn, and Andrew King. Although Drexel reduced it to a seven-point game, 26-19, a Sherry and-one play restored a double-digit lead for the maroon and gold at 29-19.
• The Phoenix held a 10-point lead, 31-21, but Drexel countered with a 7-1 run to narrow the gap to four, 32-28, with 1:27 remaining in the first period. A three from TJ Simpkins and a layup from King allowed Elon to regain breathing space, 37-28, yet the Dragons hit a three-pointer at the end of the first half to reduce the Phoenix’s lead to six, 37-31, at the break.
• The two teams experienced a scoring drought to start the second half, not registering points until after four minutes elapsed when Hargrove made a second-chance layup. The Dragons scored again with 15 minutes left in the contest to come within two, 37-35.
• Elon broke its offensive stagnation following a basket in the paint by Kendall Campbell. This ignited an 8-2 run for the Phoenix, who reestablished a double-digit lead, 47-37, after a pair of free throws from Brayden Crump.
• Drexel responded with an 8-2 run of its own over the next few minutes. Back-to-back threes from MaGee and Butler tightened the game to four points, 49-45, prompting Elon to call a timeout to halt the momentum.
• Butler sank a three with 5:23 remaining to pull the Dragons within three, 53-50, making it a one-possession contest. Elon countered with a 10-3 surge to widen its lead back to ten, 63-53, after consecutive layups from TJ Simpkins.
• This run effectively extinguished the momentum for the home team as the Phoenix added a couple more points through Dorn free throws to seal the 65-54 victory.
 
NOTES
• TK Simpkins contributed 15 points off the bench for the Phoenix in his second outing after injury. The Brooklyn, N.Y., native equaled a seasonal high with four three-pointers made, completing 4-of-6 from beyond the arc.
• This victory marked the Phoenix’s fifth true road triumph of the season, the most for the program since achieving a 6-7 record in 2018-19.
• Elon outperformed the Dragons in the paint, 32-20, and also led in rebounds, 33-25. The Phoenix enhances its record to 13-2 this season when winning the rebounding battle.
• With its 13^th win this season, Elon matches its total from the previous year. Its 4-1 record in the CAA is the program’s most favorable standing since joining the league.
 
UP NEXT
Elon wraps up its two-game road trip with a game against Delaware on Saturday, Jan. 18. The match is set for 2 p.m. and will be streamed on FloCollege (FloHoops).
 

— ELON —