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After Victory, Elon Plays Waiting Game With Fate in Balance: Win Total Most for Program Since 1996-97 Season

Posted on: Monday, 27 February 2006, 15:00 CST

By Adam Smith, Times-News, Burlington, N.C.

Feb. 26--GREENSBORO -- Elon University took care of business on the road for the first time in nearly seven weeks, closing out UNC Greensboro and the regular season with a highly effective display of half-court offense.

The Phoenix, coolly converting on nearly every opportunity during crunch time, worked past UNCG 87-82 in Southern Conference men's basketball Saturday afternoon at Fleming Gym.

Chris Chalko canned two tie-breaking 3-pointers in the final five minutes to finish with 21 points as Elon seized its 14th victory of the season -- the program's most since 1996-97, when the school competed on the Division II level -- and locked up at least the No. 2 seed in this week's league tournament.

Elon hadn't won a road game since Jan. 9, but that funk dissolved by way of the Phoenix's points on 11 of its last 14 possessions. Elon scored on eight of its nine trips during the final three minutes.

"I think it was a step in the right direction," Chalko said. "It's good because the rest of our games for the season are away. So we pretty much better get comfortable with winning away from home or it's going to be a short postseason for us." Georgia Southern's visit to Furman this afternoon serves as the deciding factor for the conference tournament's highest seeds. Georgia Southern secures the No. 1 seed with a victory. A Furman victory means Elon owns the top seed.

"This is it," Elon coach Ernie Nestor said. "We've been playing tournament basketball for the last couple weeks. Nobody knew it, it wasn't called a tournament, but we've been playing for tournament effect." UNCG junior Ricky Hickman unleashed career highs of seven 3s and 34 points Saturday, yet Elon (14-13 overall, 10-4 Southern Conference) was able to overcome him and the Spartans (11-18, 4-10) with efficiency at almost every turn.

The Phoenix used eight players, all of whom scored at least six points. Senior guard Scottie Rice supplied a season-high 18 points aided by 8-for-8 accuracy from the foul line.

Elon, a 68-percent free-throw shooting team, went 27-for-31 (87.1 percent) on free throws, which only served to strengthen its 55.3-percent shooting from the field, including 63.6 percent in the second half.

"In the last five, seven minutes of the game, everybody stepped up all at once, instead of just a few people," Chalko said. "Everybody on the team made a contribution when we needed it there." UNCG's Kyle Hines, the Southern Conference's second-leading scorer and top rebounder, produced 18 points, but foul trouble neutralized him down the stretch.

Hines and Elon's Jackson Atoyebi both picked up their fourth fouls with 8:40 remaining on what officials Jerry Heater and Greg Fogleman finally ruled a double foul.

Atoyebi drove and elevated deep in the lane. Heater called a blocking foul on Hines while Fogleman simultaneously called charging on Atoyebi. The officials conferred before deciding on the double foul.

That left UNCG to lean on Hickman, a guard who responded with four 3s in the final 7:35.

The score was tied 71-71 with 2:44 left and the shot clock had ticked below five seconds when Elon's Brian Waters turned and flipped a pass back to Chalko, who buried his fifth 3 over two lunging Spartans defenders. UNCG coach Mike Dement called it a giant basket.

"That's his thing, he can shoot the ball," Rice said. "He wants to take that shot. We all want him to take that shot." The Phoenix extended its lead to 78-71 and 82-75 in the last 1:23, then held off UNCG with 9-for-10 shooting on free throws.

"We have to get better defensively," Dement said. "Seventy-five points is enough. Eighty points is enough. Sixty-seven points is enough. The points that we scored were enough."

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Source: Times-News

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