Phoenix fall to Wildcats in conference semifinals

Justin Hite / Sports Editor

The same problem that seemed to plague the Phoenix the entire year doomed them in on Sat., as the Phoenix fell to Davidson, 65-58.

Elon fell victim to themselves as their shooting woes seemed to get worse and worse as the game wore on.

After falling behind by seven at halftime the Phoenix needed a strong second half effort in order to come out on top, but were unable to get it as they were never able to overcome the deficit.

The team shot 45 percent from the field and was 3-15 from three-point range. Davidson couldn’t have been further from the problems that Elon suffered from. The Wildcats shot 44 percent from behind the arc and put Elon away with their free throw shooting, sinking 11-12 in the second half.

Senior Jackson Atoyebi led all Elon scorers with 14 points and grabbed five rebounds. Chirs Chalko chipped in with 12 points but was under 50 percent from the field.

Wildcat center Ian Johnson finished with a game-high 23 points and was 8-10 from the field and 5-6 from three-point range. Johnson provided a mismatched that Elon was unable to counter the entire game.

The Phoenix not only missed a majority of their shots but also failed to clean the glass. Elon had only four offensive rebounds and Davidson out rebounded the Phoenix by a margin of 39 to 23.

Elon pulled within three points late in the second half but misses by Chalko and senior Scottie Rice helped Davidson finish off the Phoenix.

Davidson will face off against Chattanooga, Sun., for the Southern Conference Championship and an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

Contact Justin Hite at pendulum@elon.edu or 278-7247.