ELON, N.C. - Ola Atoyebi recorded a double-double performance
with a game-high 21 points and a contest-best 10 rebounds for the
Phoenix as Elon defeated the Lees-McRae College Bobcats 81-52 in
nonconference men's basketball game Friday night at Alumni Gym.
Kyle Boardman came away with 11 points and six rebounds to lead
the Bobcats (0-11). Aaron Woodacre put up 10 points, ReShon
Benjamin pulled down six boards and Nick DeSchepper registered
three steals for Lee-McRae.
Brett James ended up with 16 points for Elon (3-4) while Devan
Carter scored 12 points, and Chris Long added 11 markers for the
Phoenix. T.J.
Atoyebi sank a pair of free throws to give Elon the lead for good
at 10-9 with 16:35 to play in the first half. The Phoenix scored
six of the game's next 10 points to go up 16-13 on a layup by Long
with 13:29 to go in the opening stanza. Boardman's put-back pulled
the Bobcats to within 16-15, but James hit a bucket to ignite a
13-3 surge as Elon extended its edge to 29-18 on a freebie by
Atoyebi with 7:02 left in the first period.
Lees-McRae responded by going on a 12-8 spurt to inch to within
37-30 on a three-point field goal by DeSchepper with 1:53 remaining
before the break. The Phoenix answered with a 21-4 run to extend
the lead to 58-34 on Terrance Birdette's basket with 14:40 left in
the contest.
The Bobcats made one final run with a 16-8 spurt to draw to within
66-50 on an old-fashioned three-point-play by Woodacre at the 9:23
mark. Elon went on to close the game out with a 15-2 surge, capped
by Monty Sanders' jumper with 1:43 left.
The Phoenix outscored Lees-McRae 46-24 in the paint, 26-7 off
turnovers, 17-14 off second chances and 24-2 off fast breaks. The
Bobcats' bench outscored the Elon bench 20-18 and won the battle of
the boards 42-41. The Phoenix forced 24 turnovers while committing
13.
Elon shot 52.3 percent (34 of 65) from the field - 16.7 percent (2
of 12) from three-point range - and 50 percent (11 of 22) from the
charity stripe. Lees-McRae fired 28.6 percent (18 of 63) from the
floor - 31.3 percent (5 of 16) from downtown - and 78.6 percent (11
of 14) from the free throw line.
The Bobcats will return to action after Christmas for a New Year's
Eve game at UNC-Pembroke on Wednesday, December 31st. Tip off is
set for 2:00 p.m.
Box
score
2008-2009
Season Stats
Pictured: Kyle Boardman
