Who’s Playing
Valparaiso Beacons @ Elon Phoenix
Current Records: Valparaiso 4-8, Elon 6-6
How To Watch
What to Know
The Elon Phoenix will finish 2023 at home by hosting the Valparaiso Beacons at 2:00 p.m. ET on Friday at Schar Center. The timing is sure in Elon’s favor as the squad sits on four straight wins at home while Valparaiso has not had much luck on the away from home, with nine straight road losses dating back to last season.
After soaring to 104 points the game before, Elon faltered in their contest on Friday. They took a serious blow against the Gamecocks, falling 70-43. The result shouldn’t come as a shock considering that’s the fewest points Elon has scored all season.
Meanwhile, it’s hard to win when your three-point shooting is a whole 25.5% worse than the opposition, a fact Valparaiso found out the hard way on Tuesday. They lost to the Bulldogs at home by a decisive 79-61 margin.
Despite the loss, Valparaiso got a solid performance out of Cooper Schwieger, who scored 15 points along with seven rebounds. Less helpful for Valparaiso was Darius DeAveiro’s abysmal 0-6 three-point shooting.
The Phoenix have been struggling recently, as they’ve lost three of their last four matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 6-6 record this season. As for the Beacons, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-8.
This contest is shaping up to be a blowout: Elon just can’t miss this season, having made 46.8% of their shots per game. It’s a different story for Valparaiso, though, as they’ve only made 39.6% of their shots per game this season. Given Elon’s sizeable advantage in that area, Valparaiso will need to find a way to close that gap.
Elon came up short against Valparaiso in their previous matchup back in December of 2022, falling 71-66. Will Elon have more luck at home instead of on the road?
Series History
Valparaiso won the only game these two teams have played in the last year.
- Dec 18, 2022 – Valparaiso 71 vs. Elon 66
