Elon Holds Off UNCW For 60-48 Victory
Rob Washburn
BOX SCORE | CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL
UPPER MARLBORO, Md. (March 13, 2015) – Fourth-seeded Elon used stifling defense and clutch free throw shooting to defeat fifth-seeded UNCW 60-48 in the second quarterfinal game of the CAA Women’s Basketball Championship at Show Place Arena.
The Phoenix (19-11), who were playing in their first-ever CAA tournament game, avenged two regular-season losses to the Seahawks and advanced to meet top-seeded James Madison in Saturday’s 1 p.m. semifinal game. UNCW ended its season with a 14-16 mark.
Junior guard Josepha Mbouma, who had scored just 37 points all season, led Elon with a team-high 15 points, shattering her previous career best of six. Freshman Shay Burnett added 10 points and a team-high seven rebounds and senior Sam Coffer scored all eight of her points in the second half.
UNCW was paced by sophomore guard Brie Mobley with 15 points, while backcourt mate Shatia Cole tallied 10 points. Sophomore forward Ryan Flowers grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds for the Seahawks.
The Phoenix were outstanding defensively, limiting UNCW to 26.1% field goal shooting, including 1-for-13 from 3-point range. They also forced 15 turnovers and blocked eight shots, including five by Malaya Johnson.
Elon was up 32-26 with 15:54 remaining, but held UNCW without a field goal over the next 6:52. The Phoenix went on an 11-1 run and increased their lead to 43-27 on a Burnett layup with 9:54 left. The Seahawks rallied to within 43-38 at the 5:51 mark after Mobley capped an 11-0 run with a pair of free throws.
That was as close as UNCW would get, however, as Elon converted on 15-of-16 second-half free throws to seal the victory. Mbouma and Essence Baucom combined to hit eight in a row in the final 1:13.
Elon took an early 9-4 lead, but then went scoreless for more than five minutes. UNCW took advantage with 10 straight points and moved on top 14-9 following a Naquiyyah Teague layup with 11:55 to go. The Phoenix fought back to grab a 24-21 halftime advantage as Mbouma scored five of Elon’s final seven points in the period, including a three-pointer from the right corner with 5:21 on the clock.
Elon shot 50 percent from the floor in the second half after making just 27.6 percent in the first 20 minutes. The Phoenix were 22-of-24 from the free throw line for the game.