By Bob Sutton
Special to The Alamance News
A sudden turnaround for Elon’s men’s basketball team involved a giant leap Thursday night.
Confidence is raging again for the Phoenix after it took down first-place Towson 69-63 in a Coastal Athletic Association game at Schar Center.
“I feel like it’s through the roof,” said guard T.J. Simpkins, who racked up 19 points. “We just beat the top two teams in the conference and we’re going to keep building off of that.”
His twin brother, T.K. Simpkins, poured in 28 points and Elon (17-11 overall, 8-7 CAA) never flinched. It marked the most significant conference result in coach Billy Taylor’s three seasons.
“We’ve taken steps every year and this is another really big step for our program,” Taylor said. “To see these guys respond in such a positive manner was just really encouraging.”
In back-to-back games following a three-game skid, the Phoenix has disrupted the top of the CAA pecking order and moved into sixth place. Elon knocked off second-place UNC Wilmington on Saturday night.
“It’s a stepping stone for our team to show how good we are,” T.K. Simpkins said. “These last two games show we can compete at a high level against anybody.”
The Tigers (18-10, 13-2), arriving with a 12-game winning streak without a loss since January 4, shot 8-for-27 on 3-pointers and were outscored 16-7 at the free-throw line.
Neither team led by more than six points.
Towson, with a pair of 10-second violations in the second half, never looked comfortable. The Phoenix came up clutch in the last three minutes, beginning with T.K. Simpkins’ fall-away jumper for a 62-61 lead.
Then his steal and subsequent two free throws came before T.J. Simpkins’ drive for a basket and a 66-61 advantage.
“We trust each other,” T.K. Simpkins said. “We stuck to what (we do well) and we got the outcome we wanted.”
T.K. Simpkins went 5-for-8 on 3-pointers, including a long second-half launch as he was knocked to the floor.
“After the shots tonight, I just feel like everything was going in,” T.K. Simpkins said.
“T.K. was able to make some miraculous ones for us,” Taylor said.
Six of Elon’s first 11 field goals were 3-pointers, helping provide a 34-29 edge. The Phoenix led 39-36 at halftime, with T.K. Simpkins at 16 points.
Towson held the nation’s second-longest winning streak. The outcome marked Elon’s first home victory against the Tigers in more than seven years (January 2, 2018), and that came at Alumni Gym.
A week earlier, the Phoenix lost to last-place North Carolina A&T at home and realized it would be playing without team scoring leader Nick Dorn (15.2 points per game) for the rest of the season because of an injury. Elon stumped Towson despite forward Sam Sherry’s 1-for-10 shooting, though the senior forward eclipsed the 500-rebound level for his career.
Now, the Phoenix has its largest win total in eight seasons.
“Incredibly proud of these guys for the way that they figured it out,” Taylor said. “Teams have to change and re-invent themselves at different times during the season. Obviously, losing a player like Nick Dorn with his capacity, it’s kind of a next-man-up mentality. And these guys have figured it out.”
Elon plays its home finale Saturday night vs. William & Mary (16-11, 10-4).
