Led by a career-high 25 points from sophomore forward Tyler Seibring, the Elon University men’s basketball team routed Drexel University 93-73 Thursday night in Alumni Gym.
Head coach Matt Matheny felt it was one of Elon’s best all-around performances of the season, as the Phoenix held Drexel to 38.6 percent shooting, outrebounded the Dragons 38-33 and only needed 10 3-pointers to get to 93 points.
“It could be one of our best 40-minute performances, and in a lot of ways, I think it is,” Matheny said. “I could change my mind when I watch the film. But I feel like we’re playing better. We’re getting better, and we played consistently pretty well both offensively and defensively for 40 minutes. For the game, I thought we consistently improved. It was a good night for us.”
Elon was carried by its starting five, with all but five points coming from the quintet. Each player ended the night in double figures. Seibring led the way, with sophomore guard Steven Santa Ana adding 22, sophomore guard Dainan Swoope chipping in 16, junior guard Dmitri Thompson netting 12 and redshirt junior forward Brian Dawkins tallying 13.
Dawkins said he feels like the starting unit is gelling together extremely well.
“I think guys are starting to settle into a rhythm and we’re feeding off each other, which I think has been important,” Dawkins said. “We’re just all kind of playing off each other and it’s really working out well.”
Seibring added, “I think what it showed and what we continue to show is we have balance. And not only is it a balance of different people, but I think it showed the balance we have in the game now that these different people can score from different places.
“I think that’s what we’re trying to continue to do to be successful in conference, because we’re not going to make those threes every day, and I think today we knocked them down, but we were able to attack from different areas to get more open threes.”
But it was Seibring who shone brightest of them all, shooting 7-of-13 from the field, 4-of-6 from deep and a perfect 7-of-7 from the free throw line. He also finished the night with seven rebounds, six assists, two blocks, a steal and no turnovers. Dawkins said it was “amazing to watch” him play.
“When we saw him in the recruiting process, he’s exactly what we want in the system,” Matheny said. “He fits so well with his ability to pass. Everybody can see he can shoot, but he can pass with his right hand, he can pass with his left hand. He’s got a great basketball IQ. I think he’s playing very well right now.”
The win continues Elon’s strong run at home, winning its third-straight Colonial Athletic Association home game by double-digits. Elon improves to 11-9 overall and 3-4 in the Colonial Athletic Association play.
The Phoenix remains home for another CAA game at 7 p.m. Saturday, hosting the College of William & Mary.