In its fourth non-conference game of the season, the AU women’s basketball team fought to come back from a second half deficit against the Elon Phoenix but proved unable to recover, falling 62-54 on Sunday. The Eagles entered the half trailing by one point, but Elon pulled away after converting on a series of AU turnovers in the final two quarters. With two minutes left, the Eagles hit a late surge to bring the game within six points, but the Elon sophomore guard Shay Burnett sank four free throws in the remainder of the game to seal the win for the Phoenix.
Elon (3-1) took an early lead against the Eagles (0-4) and led 14-6 after the first quarter. Poor defensive play and little offensive production from AU’s starters contributed to the team’s slow start, but momentum changed when sophomore forward Michael Harris scored 10 points in six shots from the bench to bring the Eagles within one point at the half. Harris’s output sparked production from the rest of the bench, as they scored 18 of the Eagle’s 24 first half points.
Despite increased scoring from the AU bench, the Eagles struggled to stop simple Elon plays and fell behind as the Phoenix racked up points on fast breaks. However, AU opened up the second half with smooth plays and battled back and forth with the Phoenix, as the lead changed five times in five minutes. But, after a timeout with 4:57 remaining in the third, Elon outscored the Eagles 13-2 to close out the quarter, and the Phoenix never looked back.
Turnovers, missed defensive rebounds and fouls plagued the Eagles, and head coach Megan Gebbia said she hopes to address these issues in practice.
“That [has] been our issue for the last three years. We talk about it all the time in practice,” Gebbia said. “When you need the possession and you need the ball, you have to go after it with everything you have.”
Gebbia said that, despite the loss, she found positive elements from the game to incorporate into the team’s future play. When asked about Harris’s production in the second quarter, Gebbia said “I thought Mike [Harris] did a great job in the first half of taking what they gave her.”
The Eagles face William and Mary College on the road this Wednesday, and Harris said she hopes the team’s morale improves as the season continues.
“I think that we’re learning, [and] I think that the mood will pick up,” Harris said. “Like I said, it’s kind of frightening when you first go out there, but I think we’ll get it together.”
