First dance step begins in
Charleston
James Schlucter and Kris Moody /
Reporters
Men's
The men's Phoenix basketball team seems to be counted
out in the Southern Conference Tournament because of one
underlying reason: the team's inability to win road
games.
The last game the Phoenix won on the road was Jan. 9 when
they beat Chattanooga by 18 points. Struggles on the road may
cause problems in the SoCon Tournament, but Coach Ernie
Nestor and his players seem to think the neutral court
won't be a problem.
"We have struggled on the road, but it's not
because of the location,"
Nestor said. "In many of the games we have lost,
we have made ourselves our own opponent."
With last Saturday's victory over UNC-G, Elon finished
second in the Southern Conference and will automatically
advance to the quarterfinals of the tournament, where they
will face the winner of the UNC-G/Western Carolina
game. Elon defeated UNC-G both times during the regular
season and split the season series against Western Carolina.
The playoff effort will most likely be without their
second-leading scorer, Montell Watson. According to Nestor,
Watson won't be released to practice until Wednesday and
even then it's questionable if he will be healthy to play
in Elon's quarterfinal match-up.
The players won't be satisfied until they make a run at
winning the tournament, even if they have to do so on the
road "We have to do it on the road, with no crowd behind
us," senior Jackson Atoyebi said.
Women's
The Elon women's basketball team has landed the sixth
seed entering the SoCon tournament this weekend.
The team finished the regular season with an overall record
of 12-15 and a conference record of 7-11. As the sixth seed,
the Phoenix will play third seed Davison.
Elon played Davidson twice this season, losing on both
occasions.
Despite the losses, the team feels prepared for its third
game against Davidson.
"We're confident," Coach Brenda Paul
said. "We don't think there is any team
that's completely out of our league."
Even the men's team has helped the women get ready for
the tournament.
A couple of the players have practiced with the team to
provide them with a look at a different style of play.
Paul said that the key to advancing deep into the tournament
will be the defense of the Phoenix. Defense is something that
has been stressed throughout the entire season for the team.
Contact James Schlucter or Kris Moody at
pendulum@elon.edu or 278-7247.
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Matt
Gannon / Photo Editor