The Elon Phoenix will travel to the Daskalakis Athletic Center to take on the Drexel Dragons this Thursday night in College Basketball action.
The Elon Phoenix snapped their 3-game losing streak and improved to 5-13 on the season after defeating the James Madison Dukes, 90-67, this past Monday. Elon was outstanding offensively against James Madison and had no trouble cruising to victory in the 2nd half after going into halftime with a 46-31 lead. Elon shot 49.2% from the field & 42.5% from beyond the arc while allowing James Madison to shoot 41.5% from the field & 22.2% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Phoenix was Kris Wooten who had 23 points, 2 rebounds, & 2 assists in 27 minutes from off the bench.
On the season, Elon is averaging 69.2 ppg on 43.1% shooting from the field. The Phoenix are averaging 9.8 three-pointers per game on 36.5% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Elon has been led by Darius Burford (12.6 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 3.2 apg, 1.6 spg), Hunter McIntosh (12.1 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 3.1 apg), Torrence Watson (8.7 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 1.5 apg), & Hunter Woods (7.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.4 spg).
Defensively, Elon is allowing their opponents to average 73.8 ppg on 43.2% shooting from the field. The Phoenix have a rebound margin of -4.9 and a turnover margin of -1.6.
The Drexel Dragons Dropped to 7-7 on the season after being defeated by the Hofstra Pride, 71-68, this past Monday. Drexel gave Hofstra everything that they could handle in the 2nd half, however, the Pride was able to hold on to the victory late after an Aaron Estrada jumper gave Hofstra the lead for good with just :48 seconds left in regulation. Drexel shot 47.5 ppg on 31.8% shooting from beyond the arc while allowing Hofstra to shoot 49.2% from the field & 25.0% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Dragons was Xavier Bell who had 30 points, 1 rebounds, 5 assists, & 1 block.
On the season, Drexel is averaging 74.4 ppg on 46.4% shooting from the field. The Dragons are averaging 7.7 three-pointers per game on 34.5% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Drexel has been led by Camren Wynter (14.6 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 4.6 apg), James Butler (13.4 ppg, 9.7 rpg, 1.3 apg), Xavier Bell (11.8 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 1.8 apg), & Melik Martin (10.1 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 1.6 apg).
Defensively, Drexel is allowing their opponents to average 72.1 ppg on 45.9% shooting from the field. The Dragons have a rebound margin of 2.6 and a turnover margin of -0.8.
The Phoenix are 10-2-1 ATS in their last 13 games vs. CAA opponents, however, are just 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games vs. Drexel. The Dragons are 12-6 ATS in their last 18 games & 7-1 ATS in their last 8 games vs. CAA opponents.
Elon has been solid in terms off three-point shooting as the Phoenix currently ranks 21st in three-pointers made per game & 60th in 3P FG%, however, Elon has overall struggled on both ends of the court this season and currently rank just 243rd in scoring offense & 287th in scoring defense. Drexel has been led by their offense which ranks 125th in scoring offense & 79th in FG%, however, the defense has struggled a bit and come into this matchup ranked just 259th in scoring defense & 316th in defensive FG%.
Elon is coming off an impressive win against James Madison and although they don’t look great statistically, the Phoenix did play a very tough non-conference schedule this season and have had plenty of success, especially ATS, recently in CAA play. Drexel is a tough team to play on their home court, however, their defense certainly has some issues and as I think the Phoenix will have some success offensively from beyond the arc, I think this is just too many points to pass up on. Take Elon and the points. Good Luck!