For video of coach Lynne Agee's postgame remarks with the media, click here.
ELON, N.C. – Freshman Breonna Patterson hit a tie-breaking 3-pointer with 51 seconds left and Brey Dorsett hit both ends of a one-and-one with 4.8 seconds left to lift UNCG past Elon in a crucial Southern Conference contest on Thursday, 71-66.
Monique Floyd finished with a team-best 15 points for UNCG (12-12, 9-7 SoCon), while Dorsett had a career-high 14 and Patterson scored a career-best 11. Amanda Leigh finished with 12 points, all in the first half. Freshman Janae' Stevenson had a career-best 15 rebounds.
Ali Ford scored a game-high 20 points to lead Elon (15-9, 9-6 SoCon), who also got 13 from Kelsey Harris, 12 from Aiesha Harper and 10 from Kelsey Evans.
The Spartans got some clutch play down the stretch to earn the season split with the Phoenix. With the score tied at 61 with less than 3 minutes to play, Patterson hit a jumper to put UNCG ahead. She then drew a foul on the other end, hitting the front end of the one-and-one to make it a 3-point game.
After fruitless possessions on both sides, Ford came off a screen and nailed a long 3 to tie things at 64. Patterson wasn't done, however, as she answered with a triple of her own on the other end to put UNCG on top to stay.
A pair of Harper free throws drew the Phoenix back within a point with 45.7 seconds left, but Floyd hit a turnaround jumper in the lane with just 25.4 remaining to make it a three-point game again at 69-66.
Elon called a timeout to set up its final play, but UNCG got the stop it needed, with Lei Lei Hairston – who nailed a 3 from the top of the key to tie it in the last minute in the teams' first matchup this season – missing a 3-point try. Dorsett pulled down the rebound and was fouled, then hit both of her shots to salt away the win.
The Spartans weathered a pair of big runs to win the contest, as Elon turned in 12-0 spurts in both halves to keep it close.
UNCG led 39-29 early in the second half, but Harris' conventional three-point play capped the second such run to put the Phoenix ahead for the first time on the evening, 41-39. A Patterson layup would tie it at 41, and the teams would match each other point-for-point for the next 11-plus minutes. Neither team led by more than two points during that stretch.
Leigh, who scored a career-high 28 points at Alumni Gym in last season's meeting there, was 4-for-4 from 3-point range in the first half, helping UNCG bolt out to a 25-10 lead.
Elon erased nearly all of that lead with a quick 12-0 spurt, getting a jumper and a pair of 3-pointers from Ford to key the run. A pair of Evans free throws got the Phoenix back within a possession in a matter of just 3 minutes, 11 seconds.
Dorsett hit a pair of free throws and Sarah Folwell drained a 3-pointer to stop the bleeding, putting the Spartans back up by eight at 30-22. UNCG took an 35-27 lead into the half.
UNCG outrebounded the Phoenix 43-38, helped in large part by Stevenson's career night on the boards. The rookie from Columbia, S.C., grabbed seven on the offensive end of the floor.
The Spartans' bench came up big Thursday, playing a total of 70 minutes and outscoring Elon's 32-15.
UNCG's win avenged a 63-61 loss to the Phoenix on Jan. 19 in which Ford hit a layup at the buzzer to give Elon the win.
UNCG returns to action Saturday when it hosts College of Charleston at 2 p.m. for its annual Pink Zone contest. Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for children with $1 from each ticket going toward breast cancer research.
AGATE
UNCG 71, ELON 66
UNCG (12-12, 9-7 SoCon)
Monique Floyd 5-12 5-8 15; Brey Dorsett 4-8 4-4 14; Amanda Leigh 4-6 0-0 12; Breonna Patterson 4-7 1-2 11; Sidnei Harmon 2-8 0-0 4; Dayshaun Richbow 1-4 2-2 4; Natalie Headley 2-3 0-0 4; Janae' Stevenson 2-10 0-0 4; Sarah Folwell 1-3 0-0 3; Amy Clapper 0-2 0-0 0; Nneka Awuruonye 0-1 0-0 0; Colleen Nosovitch 0-0 0-0 0; Jazz Weaver 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 25-67 12-16 71.
ELON (15-9, 9-6 SoCon)
FORD,Ali 8-16 0-0 20; HARRIS,Kelsey 5-9 3-5 13; HARPER,Aiesha 4-7 3-3 12; EVANS,Kelsey 5-11 0-0 10; HAIRSTON,Lei Lei 3-8 0-0 6; SILAS,Candice 1-3 1-5 3; TAYLOR,Julie 1-4 0-0 2; GAUSE,Tiara 0-1 0-0 0; ARCHIE,Lisa 0 1 0-2 0. Totals 27-60 7-15 66.
UNCG.......................... 35 36 - 71
Elon.......................... 27 39 - 66
3-point goals--UNCG 9-18 (Amanda Leigh 4-6; Breonna Patterson 2-3; Brey Dorsett 2-3; Sarah Folwell 1-3; Jazz Weaver 0-1; Sidnei Harmon 0-1; Monique Floyd 0-1), Elon 5-11 (FORD,Ali 4-8; HARPER,Aiesha 1-1; HAIRSTON,Lei Lei 0-1; TAYLOR,Julie 0-1). Fouled out--UNCG-None, Elon-None. Rebounds--UNCG 43 (Janae' Stevenson 15), Elon 38 (HAIRSTON,Lei Lei 10). Assists--UNCG 8 (Monique Floyd 4), Elon 11 (FORD,Ali 3; HARPER,Aiesha 3). Total fouls- UNCG 16, Elon 17. Technical fouls--UNCG-None, Elon-None. A-476
- UNCG -
