Amid turnovers, fouls, and more than anything, missed shots, it all boiled down to the thing Elon University loves to do most.
Shoot the 3-pointer.
But that poison was used against the Phoenix Thursday night, Feb. 27, at Alumni Gym. Wofford College’s Karl Cochran sank five 3-pointers within a three-minute span late in the game, and freshman guard Eric Garcia added another on a loose ball with under a minute to go to propel the Terriers to a 63-59 victory.
The loss, along with a University of Tennessee at Chattanooga win over Western Carolina University in overtime, drops Elon into a three-way tie for second place in the Southern Conference with Chattanooga and Wofford. But, the Phoenix lost to both teams so would currently be slated for the No. 4 seed in next week’s conference tournament.
Davidson College clinched the regular season title and No. 1 seed with a 79-46 demolishing of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro Thursday.
“It’s disappointing to lose,” Elon coach Matt Matheny said. “The style of the game was very much how we expected it to be. We gave them a little too much room, and they made us pay for it. It’s tough in a game so close to overcome those five 3’s in succession like that.”
Cochran, Wofford’s leading scorer, was a nonfactor for much of the night until when it mattered. With the Terriers down 46-39 and less than six minutes on the clock, he caught fire to slingshot Wofford to its first lead of the game with 3:41 to play.
The stretch appeared to be short lived, as Elon senior forward Lucas Troutman had smooth jumper from the wing and two blocks to give the Phoenix some energy. But Cochran fired back with 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to put Wofford up two with 2:49 left.
“It can happen at any point. Anybody can heat up,” Troutman said. “Anybody can make a shot at any point. (Cochran) has the ability to get open and use the screens to get open. He was able to finally find that rhythm. When he found that rhythm, it was a little bit too late. It really hurt us.”
Elon (18-12, 11-4 SoCon) tied it back up with a minute to play, but Garcia corralled a loose ball in the left corner to give the Terriers a three-point lead with 39.8 seconds left. Two free throws from Wofford sophomore guard Spencer Collins extended that lead to five moments later. Elon senior guard Jack Isenbarger drained a 3-pointer from 25 feet out on the right wing with 14.4 seconds left, but missed from the left wing on the ensuing possession.
“There’s always ups and downs, especially in conference play,” Troutman said. “With the way teams are, as competitive as we are, there’s always going to be ups and downs. The entire game was tonight.”
Beyond the finish, neither team performed well from the field. Wofford made just 5-of-22 shots (22.7 percent) in the first half and finished at a 37.8 percent clip while Elon shot 37.5 percent on the day.
Matheny accredited the offensive struggles from both teams to the defensive clinic they each put on.
“We did not play well enough defensively in the first half,” Matheny said, “and what I mean by that is we fouled too much. We played pretty good. But we ended too many possessions fouling.”
Wofford (17-11, 11-4 SoCon) made 22-of-27 free throws, while Elon was 20-of-23 from the line. But the Terriers defense kept the normally hot Phoenix shooters contained, allowing Elon to shoot just 3-of-10 from beyond the arc.
“(Wofford) does a good job of staying close to shooters,” Matheny said. “They also do a good job of when they’re stretched out on shooters and you drive, they collapse in a way that it’s tough to kick out to shooters.”
Elon led, 26-22, at halftime. Troutman, despite a poor first half underneath, finished with 23 points to lead all scorers. The Phoenix was held without a made 3-pointer in the first half. Sophomore guard Tanner Samson came up big with two of them midway through the second half to pick Elon up out of a lull, but the Terriers hung around.
The loss snaps an eight-game winning streak for Elon, giving the Phoenix its first loss since Jan. 25. It also marks the first time Elon has lost in SoCon play at Alumni Gym this season.
The Phoenix will look to bounce back at 7 p.m. March 1 at Alumni Gym against Davidson. Elon is the only team to beat the Wildcats in conference play, dating back to the 87-85 overtime thriller the Phoenix won Jan. 16.
“The great thing about (the Wofford) game, is two days later we get another shot,” Isenbarger said. “With such a quick turnaround, we can forget about what lies behind and strain forward towards what’s ahead, and that’s Davidson. It’s something to look forward to. We’ll be licking our chops.”