WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – Elon scored the game's final nine points to rally past William & Mary, 76-71, on Saturday afternoon at Kaplan Arena. The Tribe led 71-67 with 2:01 left following a Nathan Knight putback, but the Phoenix's Sheldon Eberhardt scored five-straight points, including a top of the key 3-pointer with just over a minute left, to give the visitors the lead for good.
 
Following a pair of Steven Santa Ana free throws with 9.3 seconds remaining, the Tribe had a chance for the tie. Junior Matt Milon's off-balanced 3-pointer from the left wing was off the mark, and Tyler Seibring pulled down the rebound. He cemented the Phoenix  (6-14, 2-5 CAA) win on two free throws with 0.8 seconds left.
 
Eberhardt scored 16 of his career-high 23 points in the second half and along with Seibring combined for 49 of Elon's 76 points. They combined for 28 of the Phoenix's 40 second-half points, connecting on 10-of-17 from the floor and 4-of-6 from 3-point range in the final 20 minutes.
 
W&M (7-12, 3-4 CAA) led by as much as eight, 55-47, with 11:23 remaining in the contest, but Elon answered with a 15-3 run to move in front. Eberhardt (7) and Santa Ana (6) combined for 13 of the Phoenix's 15 points during the run as the visitor opened up a 65-60 lead with 6:12 remaining.
 
The Green and Gold responded with a 10-2 run to move back in front. The Tribe took the lead 69-67 on a Luke Loewe old-fashion 3-point play and led by four with two minutes left on Knight's bucket.
 
Milon led the Tribe with 22 points. Knight posted his third double-double in the last four games and six overall on the year with 18 points and a career-high tying 14 rebounds. He added a team-best five assists as well. Freshman Chase Audige scored 13 points and added a career-high four steals, while Loewe chipped in eight points and four assists.
 
How It Happened
- Audige scored the game's first five points all on the break less than a minute into the contest.
- The Phoenix took their first lead on back-to-back 3-pointers from Chuck Hannah and Seibring. In total, Elon hit five of its first eight from 3-pointers, opening up a 17-11 cushion with 13:56 left in the first half after back-to-back triples from Kris Wooten and Seibring.
- The Tribe used a 9-2 run to moved back in front, 24-23. Back-to-back 3-pointers from Milon and freshman Quinn Blair pulled the Tribe even at 21 before Milon's second 3-pointer of the half gave W&M the one-point lead at the 9:17 mark.
- Elon opened up a 32-29 lead with four-straight point. Seibring's hook shot put the visitors back on top, while Eberhardt's fast-break lay-up extended the margin with 4:53 remaining.
- Milon knocked down a baseline jumper and Blair added a right wing 3-pointer for five quick Tribe points to give the home side a 36-34 lead with 43 seconds left in the half.
- Seibring hit a pair of free throws with 8.3 seconds left to send the game to the half tied at 36.  
- Audige scored eight-straight W&M points and his personal 6-0 run pushed the Tribe lead to 49-42 following a pair of free throws with 13:39 left.
- W&M's lead reached its highest at 55-47 on a pair of Jusitn Pierce free throws with 11:23 remaining.
- Elon responded with a 9-0 run to move back in front. Eberhardt knocked down a top of the key triple to tie the game at 57, before Santa Ana's second driving lay-up of the run gave the visitors a two-point lead with 8:20 left.
- After a Milon 3-pointer, the Elon run reached 15-3 with six-straight points. Eberhardt scored four in a row in the paint, before a pair of Santa Ana free throws extended the margin out to 65-60 with 6:12 remaining.
- The Tribe scored six in a row as part of a 10-2 run to regain the lead. Milon scored four during the stretch, including a cutting lay-up off a Knight pass to give W&M a 66-65 with 3:49 left. Following an Eberhardt lay-up, Loewe's old-fashion 3-point play put the Green and Gold on top and Knight's putback at the 2:01 mark extended the lead to 71-67.
- Eberhardt responded with five in a row as the visitors scored the game's final nine points to pull out the win. His 3-pointer from the top of the key with 1:09 remaining gave the Phoenix a 72-71 lead.
 
Inside the Numbers
- Elon shot 50 percent (14-of-28) from the floor in the second half and finished the game at 44.4 percent (28-of-63) overall.
- The Tribe finished at 41.7 percent (25-of-60) shooting but was only 8-of-29 (27.6 percent) from 3-point range.
- The Phoenix connected on 10 3-pointers shooting 38.5 percent (10-of-26) from long range.
- Elon outrebounded W&M, 41-34, and held a 15-4 advantage in second-chance points.
- W&M outscored Elon, 17-5, on the fast-break.
 
Notes
Junior Nathan Knight recorded his sixth double-double of the season and the 15th of his career … His 14 rebounds tied a career-high … With his 14 rebounds, Knight became the 32nd player in W&M history to pull down 500 rebounds (507) … Elon snapped a three-game losing streak to W&M and won for the first time in Williamsburg in five tries … Junior Matt Milon recorded his second 20-point game of the season and seventh of his career … Freshman Chase Audige scored double figures for the fifth time in seven CAA games … His four steals were a career-high … Sophomore Luke Loewe scored a season-high eight points, which was also his best career total in CAA play … Freshman Quinn Blair knocked down a pair of 3-pointers for the first time in his career finishing with six points in 15 minutes off the bench.
 
Up Next
- The Tribe hits the road for the CAA southern swing, traveling to UNCW and Charleston. The Green and Gold heads to Wilmington to take on the Seahawks on Thursday, Jan. 24, at 7 p.m. The Tribe treks to Charleston on Saturday, Jan. 26, for a 4 p.m. tip-off.
- Both games will be streamed online via CAA.TV.
- Tribe fans can catch the men's basketball action over the Tribe Radio Network with Jay Colley and Charlie Woollum on the call. The Tide 92.3 FM and 107.9 Bach FM are the flagship stations of the Tribe Radio Network and the audio is also available over the Web at TribeAthletics.com.
 
The Chesapeake Bank Tony Shaver Show returns on Monday night, Jan. 21, at Paul's Deli in Williamsburg. The weekly show begins on-site at 6:30 p.m., with the live interview airing from 7-7:30 p.m.  Longtime Tribe play-by-play announcer Jay Colley will host the broadcast from Paul's Deli at 761 Scotland Street in Williamsburg. Shows will be held Mondays from Jan. 7 through Feb. 25. The Chesapeake Bank Tony Shaver Show can be heard over the flagship stations of the Tribe Radio Network at 92.3 FM The Tide and 107.9 Bach FM. It will be streamed online at TribeAthletics.com as well. Click HERE to listen to the Jan. 21 show live online.