By Bob Sutton
Special to The Alamance News
When Elon needed plays down the stretch in its Coastal Athletic Association opener, T.J. Simpkins was ready for those moments.
Simpkins came through in the clutch after Elon’s lead dwindled against host North Carolina A&T, making for a memorable conference debut for the junior college transfer.
“My first Division I conference game, it felt good,” Simpkins said.
Simpkins converted on a three-point play with 3:51 left. He also had Elon’s next six points as the Phoenix pulled away for the 75-67 victory at Corbett Sports Center Thursday night in Greensboro.
It marked Elon’s first victory in a CAA road opener in nine years.
“It’s an important step for our program,” coach Billy Taylor said. “We’re playing really good basketball and now we continue to build on it. … It’s always difficult getting conference road wins. So I’m really proud of our guys for the way we came out.”
Simpkins finished with 19 points as all five Elon starters reached double figures. Nick Dorn posted 13 points, Andrew King had 11, and Sam Sherry and Matthew Van Komen added 10 apiece. Van Komen grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked three shots.
“It got a little bit hairy, I would say,” King said. “We stuck (to) the course, believed in each other, believed in our team, so it was good to get out and get that win.”
Elon (10-4 overall) withstood N.C. A&T’s sizzling start when the Aggies had eight 3-pointers and three 2-pointers on the way to a 30-27 lead.
But the Phoenix got the job done in a different way, hauling in 19 offensive rebounds. Of Elon’s first 12 missed shots, nine were rebounded by the Phoenix.
“We know we have a size advantage, but it doesn’t mean anything if you don’t take advantage of it and you don’t go to the rim and go to the glass,” Taylor said.
Elon had four players in double figures with more than 15 minutes remaining. But Sherry was tagged with his fourth foul with 10 minutes to play and the Aggies were making a move.
N.C. (4-11, 0-2) held Elon without a field goal for more than six minutes.
It was 65-62 when N.C. A&T had three straight empty possessions in what became more than a four-minute scoring drought. Simpkins’ three-point play off a drive at the 3:52 mark regained momentum for the Phoenix.
“I came off a ball screen and I (saw) a lot of lane,” Simpkins said. “I just went up strong.”
The next basket came on a Simpkins’ jumper for a 70-62 edge and he went 4-for-4 on free throws in the final 32 seconds.
So Elon led for almost the game’s last 27 minutes.
“We try not to go down on the road at all,” Simpkins said. “It could go bad. The whole plan was to keep the lead, play strong, just get the win.”
Simpkins was 10-for-11 on free throws as part of Elon’s 22-for-27 shooting at the foul line.
With N.C. A&T students still on break, it was quieter than normal in the gym. But the Aggies sank eight 3-point shots in slightly more than 12 minutes to begin the game, cranking up energy.
King had all his points in the first half. He hit two 3s from the left wing in the final 71 seconds before halftime as Elon built a 45-34 lead. It was an 18-4 run to close the half.
King, who entered the game at 19 percent on 3-point shots, went 3-for-5 on 3-pointers.
“He had a lot of space to shoot it and he shot it with confidence,” Taylor said.
By the end, there was another long list of contributors.
“You’re just trying to dig in,” Taylor said. “We stalled a little bit in the second half with our offensive efficiency. Made enough really good plays.”
NOTES: The Phoenix is 4-7 all-time in CAA openers. … It was Sherry’s 100th game for Elon, starting 69 of those. . . There’s a rematch between the Aggies and Phoenix on February 13 at Elon. . . The Phoenix is home Saturday night vs. Hampton at Schar Center.
