Three hundred sixteen three-pointers in a career. Seven blocks in a single game. Two tough marks to reach in Women’s college basketball were both achieved by Elon University women's basketball players in the Phoenix’s 60-51 win over the Western Carolina University Catamounts on Monday night.
Senior Ali Ford illustrious Elon career hit another milestone when the point guard drained her 316th career three-pointer with 17:50 to play in the second half. The shot eclipsed the previous mark set by Brooke Hand of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in 2008. “It’s always going to be there…nobody can take that away,” Ford remarked about her achievement. She was also quick to thank her coaches and teammates for the opportunity to break the record.
As not to be upstaged by her fellow senior leader, forward Kelsey Evans also entered the Elon record book by tying the Phoenix single game record of seven blocked shots. Six of Evans’ blocks came in the first half alone, and she tied the mark by rejecting a Catamount shot with 15:01 left in the game. “It was an outstanding effort by Kelsey Evans,” said Elon head coach Charlotte Smith. “Seven blocks is seven missed opportunities that they had to score."
Although the records captivated the fans’ attention, the game marked an important return to the win column for the Maroon and Gold. “I don’t like to be a loser for long,” Smith said about bouncing back from a defeat on Saturday at Appalachian State University.
Smith cited defense as a major key to Monday’s triumph. “(I’m) excited about the defensive intensity we came out with tonight," she said. “I feel like we needed to get back to playing Elon basketball with our defensive intensity."
Elon was the heavily favored team on paper, but the game was a back-and-forth battle in its early stages. More than seven minutes into the contest, the score was knotted at 10, and Elon looked sluggish.
From there, a series of runs ensued. Elon reeled off 11 straight points, six from Ford and five from freshman Jessica Farmer, whose 11 points on the night marked a career high. That stretch also included a pair of Evans’ first-half blocks.
The Catamounts replied to the Phoenix with a 7-1 run of their own, culminating in a three-pointer from junior guard Rena Wakama. Elon was quick to regain the momentum, however, thanks to a Kelsey Harris “and-one” play. “(By) playing aggressively, we had a lot of transition layups," the junior guard remarked on the gameplay that turned the tide on the contest. Ford agreed, adding, “Our best offense is when we’re running with numbers," referring to the transition game.
Elon closed the half on an 11-4 run and rode the wave into the second half. Elon extended its run to 20-6 when Ford’s history-making three dropped.
Elon worked its lead to a game high 24 points at 55-31 with 9:51 to play before Western Carolina began to rally. The Catamounts closed the game on a 20-5 run, keyed by freshman guard Lindsay Simpson’s 14 points, which all came in the last 4:41 of the game.
Even a furious push by the Catamounts could not top Elon’s exciting night, as the Phoenix held on.
Ford led Elon with 16 points, Harris added 13, and Farmer chipped in with 11. Evans and freshman forward Autumn Carter scored six for the Phoenix, with sophomore guard Sam Coffer scoring three, two apiece for Zora Stephenson and Shon Redmond, and one point from Nicole Razor, whose defense from off the bench played a major factor.
Two players reached double digits for the Catamounts- Simpson’s 14, and junior guard Kristen Lyon, who scored 12.
Elon improved to 12-9, 9-3 SoCon with the win, and WCU dropped to 6-15, 4-8 SoCon.
Next up, Elon hits the road to take on Hand's alma mater Chattanooga, with tip set for 5:00 p.m. on Saturday night.