A historic trip to the Southern Conference Men's Basketball Championship ended on a sour note March 10 for Elon University when the Phoenix fell to conference powerhouse and nationally ranked Davidson College in a match-up that mirrored two previous meetings this season.
Davidson was ranked No. 23 in the country as of game time. They were the top seed overall in the tournament.
The Phoenix had been seeded No. 7 in the SoCon tournament and made waves across the SoCon with their upset win over No. 2 Chattanooga in the quarterfinals, and the No. 6 College of Charleston in the semifinals.
“We played a great game,” said Keenan Benjamin, a 2006 alum who watched the game with current and former students from the top of the section where most of Elon’s supporters were seated. “Davidson just had a better night tonight. But Elon should be proud.”
Many people in the Elon crowd, including Phoenix Club IMPACT Circle member Richard Sneed, who graduated Elon in 1960 and has been a longtime supporter of the athletics program, said prior to tip-off that regardless of outcome, the Phoenix showed resilience this season and offered a taste of things to come in future seasons.
“We’ve never done anything of this magnitude in basketball,” Sneed said. “It’s going to take it to the next level. Win, lose or draw, the next level is where we’re going.”
Davidson defeated Elon twice in the past two months. On Jan. 9, Elon was edged 59-57 at home. The Phoenix were handed a 74-64 defeat on Feb. 6 when they traveled south.
In attendance Monday night were some of the university’s top administrators and favorite faces, including President Leo M. Lambert and John G. Truitt Jr., a constant presence at Phoenix athletics events and a 1953 alum. Students chanted for both men during the second half of the game. For Lambert, they wouldn’t stop until the president twirled a towel in the air, which drew applause and cheers.
Phoenix fans were outnumbered 3-1 in the North Charleston Coliseum but kept their spirits up throughout the contest. With chants of “E-U, U Know” and signs that reminded ESPN2 anchors that “It’s pronounced E-Lawn,” supporters from far and near remained hopeful until the end.
“I’m just excited,” said Josh Felix, a 2000 alum who owns Hospital News, a medical business newspaper. Felix flew from Atlanta after watching his alma mater advance to the finals. “It’s great to see the students turning out, and it’s another step in the right direction for the university’s athletics program. The students who are here are the founding members of that step.”
The bus ride home was not expected to be as eventful as the anxious trip south earlier in the day. Elon University officials chartered a bus that was filled nearly to capacity with students eager to watch history unfold – in between chants, cheers and episodes of “Seinfeld” shown on the bus television system.
“We weren’t expected to go this far,” said Anne Garfinkel, a junior athletics training major from New Jersey. “We’re happy we did.”
Other students echoed those sentiments.
“We randomly decided to come 20 minutes before the bus was leaving,” said Nicole Hebert, a freshman communications major. “It was a ‘you-only-live-once’ moment.”
