Box Score

GREENSBORO, NC UNC Greensboro forced Elon into 32 turnovers and converted them into 26 points as the Spartans held off the Phoenix, 60-54, in a Southern Conference women's basketball game this evening at Fleming Gym.

Jasmine Byrd, a sophomore guard from Dumfries, VA (Hylton HS) led UNCG (5-7, 2-3 SoCon) with 15 points, while Kristen Boone and Amanda Eaton tossed in 13 and 10 points respectively. Boone, a freshman guard from Upper Marlboro, MD (Gwynn Park) once again provided a spark off the bench for the Spartans. She converted 5-of-9 shots, had three rebounds, three assists and came up with four steals. Boone entered the game leading the SoCon in steals with 3.64 per game and has four or more thefts in six straight games.

Tierra Bumbrey paced Elon (1-11, 0-6 SoCon) with 13 points, while Jessica Williams and Shashonna Moore each added 12 points. Williams knocked down 4-of-5 from beyond the arc, while Kitara McMoore led the Phoenix on the defensive end, coming up with five blocks, which is two off the school record, and four steals.

UNCG snapped a 50-50 tie with 2:32 left in regulation by scoring seven straight points to go ahead 57-50. Byrd knocked down a clutch pull up jumper with 1:18 to go. On the ensuing in bounds play, Boone stole the ball and on that possession, Eaton would get fouled and knock down both free throws to lead 55-50 with 1:06 left. Boone turned the trick once more, grabbing the in bounds pass. She found Byrd, who would seal the victory with a pair from the charity stripe to give UNCG a 57-50 lead with 55 seconds on the clock.

UNCG, which led 27-26 at halftime, extended its advantage to as many as nine, 45-36, on a 3-pointer by Boone with 8:24 left. However, Elon would respond with a 14-5 run to square the game 50-50, but were unable to take the lead from the Spartans.

The first half was a tightly played affair that featured 10 lead changes and two ties. The largest lead of the half was 21-15 on a layup by Byrd with 6:29 left until the break.

Elon shot a season-high 52.5 percent (21-for-40) from the floor but the 32 turnovers limited its offensive opportunities. Meanwhile, UNCG came up with 18 steals, paced by Byrd's game-high five and Boone's four. The Spartans have come up with 15 or more steals in five straight outings.

UNCG sophomore forward KaLeah Latham grabbed a team-high seven rebounds, including five off the offensive glass. She also dished out a career-best four assists.

UNCG continues its three-game SoCon home stand with a Saturday, January 8 date with Georgia Southern. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 pm at Fleming Gym. Elon will host league foe College of Charleston on Saturday at 4:30 pm.

AGATE:

UNC GREENSBORO 60, ELON 54

ELON (1-11, 0-6 SoCon)

Bumbrey 5-7 2-3 13; Williams 4-5 0-0 12; Moore 6-9 0-0 12; McMoore 3-6 1-1 7; Shipley 1-2 0-0 3; King 1-1 0-0 2; Allison 1-6 0-0 2; McComas 0-1 2-2 2; Gray 0-1 1-2 1; Whidden 0-0 0-0 0; Jordan 0-2 0-2 0. Totals 21-40 6-10 54.

UNC GREENSBORO (5-7, 2-3 SoCon)

Byrd 5-14 5-7 15; Boone 5-9 2-2 13; Eaton 3-9 3-4 10; Blair 3-8 0-0 6; Chamberlain 1-3 3-5 5; Latham 1-5 2-5 4; Jackson 1-1 0-0 3; Current 1-2 0-0 2; Dixon 1-2 0-0 2; Brooks 0-1 0-0 0; Britt 0-1 0-0 0; Otamiri 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 21-58 15-23 60.

Elon............................   26   28  -   54

UNC Greensboro......   27   33  -   60

Halftime: UNC Greensboro 27, Elon 26. 3-point goals-Elon 6-10 (Williams 4-5; Shipley 1-2; Bumbrey 1-1; Allison 0-1; Moore 0-1), UNC Greensboro 3-12 (Eaton 1-6; Boone 1-1; Jackson 1-1; Byrd 0-4). Fouled out--Elon-None, UNC Greensboro-None. Rebounds-Elon 33 (Moore 6), UNC Greensboro 31 (Latham 7). Assists-Elon 10 (Bumbrey 3), UNC Greensboro 10 (Latham 4). Total fouls-Elon 19, UNC Greensboro 13. A-331.

- UNCG -