Thursday, March 17, 2011

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The USC Upstate women's basketball team, fresh off receiving the university's first-ever big to a national postseason tournament, will return to the court for the first time in 18 days when it travels to Elon, N.C., to play Elon in the first round of the Women's Basketball Invitational (WBI). The Spartans are 1-1 all-time against Elon, but have not played since a 79-63 victory in Spartanburg on Dec. 8, 1992.

Upstate enters the game with a 17-12 overall record after its thrilling 75-74 victory over Florida Gulf Coast in the regular season finale on Feb. 28 in the Hodge Center. The Spartans finished tied for third in the A-Sun regular season standings with a 13-7 record. The Spartans also boast the A-Sun Player of the Year in Chelsea McMillan and second team all-conference pick, Tee'Ara Copney. Elon stands 19-12 overall after advancing to the semifinals of the Southern Conference Tournament before losing to Appalachian State, 72-48. The Phoenix boasts two all-conference picks, second team selections Ali Ford and Kelsey Evans.

Fans can follow the action live in a variety of ways. Free live audio will be available via www.upstatespartans.com, the official Upstate Athletics website. Free live statistical updates are available at www.elonphoenix.com, the official Elon Athletics website. Live video for a fee can also be accessed at www.elonphoenix.com.

Scouting Elon Elon enters Thursday night's game against Upstate in the first round of the WBI with a 19-12 record. The Phoenix advanced to the semifinals of the Southern Conference Tournament, losing to Appalachian State, 72-48.

Elon finished with a 12-8 record in the SoCon, finishing fourth in the regular season league standings. The Phoenicxused a seven-game league winning streak in early January to place itself into the upper half of the conference standings. However, they were just 5-6 in the final 11 conference games of the season before claiming a 69-62 win over Furman in the quarterfiinals of the SoCon Tournament.

Elon is a solid offensive team who also hits the boards hard. The Phoenix average 67.5 points per game and grab 41.1 rebounds per outing. Opponents average 64.2 points and 39.3 boards per game, with Elon holding positive advantages in both categories. The Phoenix shoot 42 percent from the field, 30 percent from the three-point arc and 65 percent from the free throw line. Opponents shoot 38 percent from the field and 31 percent from the arc.

Ali Ford, a sophomore from Morganton, N.C., is a second team all-conference selection and ranks second in the SoCon in scoring at 16.5 points per game. She leads the Phoenix with 89 assists on the season and is the main three-point threat, making 82 of Elon's 129 treys on the year. Also a second team all-conference pick, Kelsey Evans (So., Raleigh, N.C.) leads the SoCon with 9.2 rebounds per outing. She also averages 11.6 points per game and tops the Phoenix with 70 blocked shots on the year.