Donte Gennie had one last look.
And for that brief moment, with Elon ahead 70-67 and three ticks left on the clock, Phoenix coach Ernie Nestor held his breath.
“Gennie is an outstanding player, and he’s fully capable of making a shot like that,” Nestor said. “But I thought LeVonn (Jordan) gave him good pressure.”
The potential game-tying basket, a long 3-pointer from the top of the key, bounced off the rim, sealing the Elon victory Thursday at Hanner Fieldhouse — the Phoenix’s first win over Georgia Southern since Elon joined the league in 2003-04.
“We have great respect for Georgia Southern — the kind of team they are, the way they play, the coach,” Nestor said. “It’s just a real challenge to come in here, and this is a great win for our program. We’ve never won here. They’re just a tremendously talented team. Our kids made some big plays, and we had a lot of guys step up.”
With the loss, the Eagles fell to 11-15 overall and 4-11 in the Southern Conference, while Elon improved to 6-19 and 4-11. It was another close loss for the Eagles, who were ahead by one with 31 seconds to go.
“This is the seventh game we’ve lost in the last 30 seconds — you can see it in their eyes,” Eagle coach Jeff Price said. “I didn’t think we executed well down the stretch. I don’t think there’s any question that when you lose so many close games it gets in your head.”
Georgia Southern trailed for nearly 20 minutes before Gennie’s jumper with 10:10 left in the game gave the Eagles a 53-51 edge — their first lead since the 10:39 mark in the opening half. The Phoenix tied the game on their next possession before Gennie hit back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Eagles a 59-55 advantage with eight minutes to go. But the Phoenix kept battling, eventually regaining the lead for good when Jordan’s jumper made it 68-67 with 30 seconds left.
Eagle guard Jimmy Tobias then missed a 3 from the left wing, Dwayne Foreman turned the ball over under heavy pressure below the basket and Elon went 2-for-4 on the free-throw line to seal the victory.
“Nothing is ever easy for us,” Nestor said. “But we played it out till the end.”
Junior Louis Graham paced four Eagles in double figures, posting game-highs in both points (19) and rebounds (10) for his league-leading 12th double-double this year. Gennie added 18, Tobias scored 12 and Matt Fields poured in 10 for GSU. Eagle players were unavailable for comment following the game.
Elon, which led 34-32 at the half, shot 49.1 percent from the field for the game to GSU’s 45.1 percent. The Phoenix also placed four in double figures led by Brett James with 18. Jordan added 17, Chris Chalko scored 13 and Brian Waters turned in 12.
“We just need to keep battling away,” Price said. “One thing we don’t need to do is quit, and our guys haven’t quit all year. It’s been a tough season for us, both from a health standpoint and losing close games.”
The Eagles host The Citadel Monday at 7:30 p.m.
Alex Pellegrino can be reached at (912) 489-9413.
And for that brief moment, with Elon ahead 70-67 and three ticks left on the clock, Phoenix coach Ernie Nestor held his breath.
“Gennie is an outstanding player, and he’s fully capable of making a shot like that,” Nestor said. “But I thought LeVonn (Jordan) gave him good pressure.”
The potential game-tying basket, a long 3-pointer from the top of the key, bounced off the rim, sealing the Elon victory Thursday at Hanner Fieldhouse — the Phoenix’s first win over Georgia Southern since Elon joined the league in 2003-04.
“We have great respect for Georgia Southern — the kind of team they are, the way they play, the coach,” Nestor said. “It’s just a real challenge to come in here, and this is a great win for our program. We’ve never won here. They’re just a tremendously talented team. Our kids made some big plays, and we had a lot of guys step up.”
With the loss, the Eagles fell to 11-15 overall and 4-11 in the Southern Conference, while Elon improved to 6-19 and 4-11. It was another close loss for the Eagles, who were ahead by one with 31 seconds to go.
“This is the seventh game we’ve lost in the last 30 seconds — you can see it in their eyes,” Eagle coach Jeff Price said. “I didn’t think we executed well down the stretch. I don’t think there’s any question that when you lose so many close games it gets in your head.”
Georgia Southern trailed for nearly 20 minutes before Gennie’s jumper with 10:10 left in the game gave the Eagles a 53-51 edge — their first lead since the 10:39 mark in the opening half. The Phoenix tied the game on their next possession before Gennie hit back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Eagles a 59-55 advantage with eight minutes to go. But the Phoenix kept battling, eventually regaining the lead for good when Jordan’s jumper made it 68-67 with 30 seconds left.
Eagle guard Jimmy Tobias then missed a 3 from the left wing, Dwayne Foreman turned the ball over under heavy pressure below the basket and Elon went 2-for-4 on the free-throw line to seal the victory.
“Nothing is ever easy for us,” Nestor said. “But we played it out till the end.”
Junior Louis Graham paced four Eagles in double figures, posting game-highs in both points (19) and rebounds (10) for his league-leading 12th double-double this year. Gennie added 18, Tobias scored 12 and Matt Fields poured in 10 for GSU. Eagle players were unavailable for comment following the game.
Elon, which led 34-32 at the half, shot 49.1 percent from the field for the game to GSU’s 45.1 percent. The Phoenix also placed four in double figures led by Brett James with 18. Jordan added 17, Chris Chalko scored 13 and Brian Waters turned in 12.
“We just need to keep battling away,” Price said. “One thing we don’t need to do is quit, and our guys haven’t quit all year. It’s been a tough season for us, both from a health standpoint and losing close games.”
The Eagles host The Citadel Monday at 7:30 p.m.
Alex Pellegrino can be reached at (912) 489-9413.
