McNair Records Double-Double, Trojans Fall On Road

Sunday, November 14

Elon, NC

1:00 p.m. (EST)

Troy University

Elon University

Photo by: Kevin Glackmeyer

McNair Records Double-Double, Trojans Fall On Road

11/14/2010 1:32:40 PM | Basketball (W)

Senior Donette McNair recorded her 19th career double-double in loss

By: Travis Jarome

Box Score | Post Game Notes

ELON, N.C. – Playing without three of their top five scorers returning from a season ago, the Troy University women's basketball team fell to Elon University 83-52 in the final game of the Phoenix Classic.

Troy (0-2) entered the season-opening Classic without the services of junior Sarah McAppion (Canberra, Australia) and sophomore Cortney Hawkins (Birmingham, Ala.) due to off-season surgeries. They lost junior Kirsten Smith (Pensacola, Fla.) for an undetermined amount of time after suffering a head injury in the loss to Stony Brook on Friday afternoon.

Senior Donette McNair led the Trojans with her first double-double of the season and the 19th of her career, as she recorded 28 points and 15 rebounds in the loss. The point total is a new career-high, breaking the mark she set against North Texas last season. The senior was named All-Tournament at the conclusion of the game.

Meanwhile, Tenia Manuel added nine points and 10 rebounds in the loss for Troy.

Kelsey Evan, the Most Outstanding Player of the Tournament, led Elon with 18 points; while Ali Ford added 17 and Tiara Gause 15 in the victory. Kelsey Harris chipped in with 10, while Lei Lei Hairston added 12 rebounds.

One streak that stayed alive for the Trojans in the loss is the consecutive game streak of three-pointers hit by Troy. The streak ran to 54 consecutive games when Tenia Manuel connected on a three-pointer with 18:35 to play in the contest. The streak dates back to December 2008, the last time the Trojans did not hit one was against Middle Tennessee during that time.

In the first half, the Trojans broke the Elon press with relative ease in the opening minutes as they took an 8-7 lead less than three minutes in the contest. However, from there, Elon went on a 13-0 run over a span of five minutes to take the lead and push it to 20-8; before a McNair basket ended the run with 12:32 to play in the half.

Troy turned the ball over an uncharacteristic 16 times in the first half – the second time that has happened to open the season – but they were not able to overcome those mistakes as they did on Friday. The Trojans shot just 30.3 (10-of-33) percent from the floor and did not connect on a three-pointer, missing all four of their opportunities.

Meanwhile, Elon capitalized on the Trojans mistakes as they scored 18 of their 45 points off turnovers in the opening half; shooting 43.9 (18-of-41) percent of their shots from the floor, including shooting 37.5 (3-of-8) percent from beyond the arc in the first 20 minutes of action.

In the second half, the Trojans were able to neutralize the turnovers during the early portion of the half and had outscored Elon during a stretch of the opening minutes of the half. However, the depth of Elon and the injuries to the Trojans proved too much as Elon was able to pull away for the victory.

Troy shot 34.4 (22-of-64) percent from the floor, 18.2 (2-of-11) percent from beyond the arc and 50 (6-of-12) percent from the free throw line. Meanwhile, Elon shot 40 (32-of-80) percent from the floor, 26.3 (5-of-19) percent from beyond the arc and 82.4 (14-of-17) percent from the free throw line.

The Trojans return to action on Wednesday in their first home game of the season, taking on in-state and longtime rival Jacksonville State University. The game tips at 7 pm inside Sartain Hall, and will be the first of two home games this month for the Trojans.

For ticket information, contact the Troy University Athletics Ticket Office at 1-877-878-WINS (9467).

For all the latest news on Troy University Athletics, follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/TroyAthletics and become a fan on Facebook.