Elon 74, Morgan State 54

ELON, N.C. – A 20-0 run by the Elon women’s basketball team in the second half surged the Phoenix past Morgan State for a 74-54 win tonight, Dec. 13, in Alumni Gym. Elon is 4-4 after its final home game of 2012, while the Lady Bears fall to 4-6.

The Phoenix recorded a season-high from the field after going 31-of-60 to shoot 51 percent. Elon held Morgan State to 28 percent from both the field and three-point range.

Kelsey Evans led all players with 19 points and fell just short of a double-double with nine rebounds. Rookie Jessica Farmer marked her first career doubled-double with 10 points and a career-high 10 boards (seven offensive). Evans and Farmer’s work on the glass helped Elon win the rebounding battle, 42-40.

Ali Ford tied her career-high of eight assists for the second time this season and recorded her seventh straight game in double figures with 14 points. Ford now has 1,634 career points, which is second on Elon’s all-time scoring list. Zora Stephenson also scored 14 points after going 4-of-8 from beyond the arc to mark four players in double figures for the Phoenix.

On defense, Evans finished with three blocks, while Farmer grabbed four steals.

After trailing early in the first half, the Phoenix took its first lead of the game with 10:57 remaining after Lauren Hudson sunk a pair of free throws to give Elon an 18-17 advantage. The Lady Bears were not able to make another field goal after the 8:46 mark and Elon took a four-point edge into the locker room at the break, 26-22.

The Phoenix played with a renewed energy in the second half as Evans scored Elon’s first six points to increase the advantage to seven, 32-25. With the maroon and gold up by five at the 6:58 mark, a jumper by Ford ignited a streak of 20 straight points for the Phoenix to put the team up, 74-49, with under a minute remaining. The Lady Bears managed five points in the final minute to make it a 20-point victory for Elon. The Phoenix ended the second frame shooting a blistering 61 percent from the field.

Elon will have a week before its next game at Campbell on Thursday, Dec. 20. Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Buies Creek, N.C.

Davidson 59, Gardner-Webb 56

DAVIDSON, N.C. – Laura Murray canned four of Davidson’s season-best 10 three-pointers on her way to a game-high 15 points, Sophia Aleksandravicius set the program’s all-time rebounding mark and the Wildcats held off a late charge by Gardner-Webb in holding on for a 59-56 win Thursday evening at Paul Porter Arena in women’s basketball.

Davidson (4-5) won its fifth straight against the Runnin’ Bulldogs in the series as it reached the double-digit mark in three-balls for the first time since draining 10 at Appalachian State, Feb. 2. Murray broke out of her scoring slump by going 4-for-7 from behind the arc.

The Wildcats, who led by as many as 19 points in the second half, saw Gardner-Webb (4-5) rattled off a 19-2 run over an eight-minute span to cut their advantage all the way down to 55-53 with 1:03 left. The ‘Cats only bucket during that stretch came from Aleksandravicius on a layup inside.

The streak started with three straight shots falling from downtown, two of them coming from Lana Doran, who finished with a team-high 14 points for the Runnin’ Bulldogs.

 Aleksandravicius, Murray and Calin though helped seal the win with four free throws in the last 43 ticks and Davidson saw Gardner-Webb’s last three-point try fall short in securing the three-point victory.

Joining Murray in the double-digit scoring column was Aleksandravicius with a double-double, 11 points and 11 rebounds. It was her fifth of the season and 35th of her career. With her first rebound of the game, Aleksandravicius set a new Davidson career rebounding mark, giving her 879 to surpass Hall of Famer Carolyn Kirsch.

Hannah Early came off the bench for 10 points and Lillian McCabe netted a season-best six on a pair of three-balls.

Davidson was cruising along in the early stages of the second half. Shannon Eriksson hit the Wildcats’ ninth trey of the game, followed shortly thereafter by a Murray triple, and the Wildcats were leading 53-34 with just under eight minutes remaining. The Runnin’ Bulldogs then started their rally with a Doran three-pointer.

The Wildcats shot 50 percent in the grabbing a 36-25 halftime lead. They broke down the Gardner-Webb zone by using the three-ball, canning half of their 14 first-half field goals from downtown, including hitting three during a 12-2 run that turned a 16-11 deficit into a 23-18 advantage with 7:17 left in the half. Early swished home a pair triples to start the run.

The treys continued to rain when freshman Alex Long buried one from the wing and fellow classmate Dakota Dukes hit a bucket inside for a 34-20 lead at the 2:12 mark. After being held scoreless for nearly seven minutes, GWU used a quick five points in the last 22 seconds to cut the ‘Cats lead to 11, hitting a buzzer-beating three by Jasmine Dale.

Davidson takes some time off for exams, before returning to the hardwood against cross-county rival Charlotte, Dec. 21 at 7 p.m.