Elon falls 82-75 to Drexel at Schar Center, third straight loss

Drexel held off a late Elon rally at Schar Center to leave Elon reeling in front of a season-high crowd of 2,021, as the Phoenix suffered a third straight loss and fell to 13-12 overall and 5-7 in the Coastal Athletic Association.

Drexel led by as many as 12 in the opening nine minutes and took a 46-38 lead to halftime after hitting six of 12 three-point attempts. The Dragons, who entered the game near the bottom of the conference in scoring, nevertheless produced 82 points and built enough separation to withstand Elon’s second-half pushes.

Elon battled back in the second half and drew within four at 66-62, but the Phoenix never secured the lead. With more than 8½ minutes remaining Elon was in the double-bonus but failed to capitalize after what coach Billy Taylor described as “a few possessions without attacking the lane.” Cuthrell’s play late energized Elon: “Cuthrell’s steal and dunk drew the Phoenix within 75-70 with less than four minutes to play.” Drexel’s Eli Beard answered with a timely 3-pointer and finished with a team-high 16 points, and later Drexel 3s by Beard and Shane Blakeney helped provide breathing room.

Elon managed one more late surge when Harrell hit a triple with 1:02 left, “cutting the hole to 78-73,” but a missed attempt in the lane by Ja’Juan Carr with about 11 seconds remaining ended the comeback bid. “We were kind of always chasing,” Taylor said, summing up the game’s arc. Taylor also noted the broader challenges: “Tough stretch of the season, but we’ve got to work our way through it.” He lamented the home losses and the missed opportunity to amplify the crowd’s energy: “We’ve lost some games here at home. Thought we had a really nice home crowd.”

Injuries have contributed to Elon’s uneven run. Forward Kacper Klaczek, the team’s third-leading scorer at 12.6 points per game and top rebounder at 6.4 rebounds, has been sidelined since Jan. 22 with an ankle issue. Taylor said Klaczek is “nearing a comeback” and added, “We miss his toughness and physicality and experience. But it gives some opportunity to other guys. . . Most important part is coming up and we’ve just got to figure it out.”

Players acknowledged process issues. Cokley said, “We struggle with urgency in the beginning of games. We always go into halftime down, so togetherness is definitely something we need to work on in the first half because we usually wake up in the second half.” Harrell called the finish disappointing: “it was frustrating to not come up with the big defensive plays down the stretch.”

The loss follows a 87-79 setback at Hampton in which Elon failed to make a field goal in the second overtime. The Phoenix have lost five of six overall and are slipping toward the lower half of the CAA standings. Local accounts list the final as 82-75, though an alternate report put Elon at 77 points; the official box score should be consulted for final confirmation. For Alamance County fans, the game underscored the immediate stakes for home attendance and CAA positioning: Elon must shore up early-game execution and defensive stops if the Phoenix are to salvage the remainder of the conference schedule.