ELON, N.C. – Drew Spradlin scored 26 points as Elon beat Samford 67-54 Saturday in a Southern Conference game.
It was the Phoenix's first win against Samford in five tries. Elon (7-8, 1-3) had to survive 32.7-percent shooting (16 of 49) to do it, but corralled many of its missed shots as it built a 44-25 advantage in rebounds, including 15 on the offensive boards.
Spradlin, Elon's lone scorer in double figures, made 11 of 14 free throws as the Phoenix exploited their advantage in trips to the line. Elon made 27 of 34 free throws, compared to Samford's 12 of 14.
The Phoenix did the bulk of their damage in the first half, when they raced to a 20-point lead before settling on a 38-20 advantage at intermission. Samford (10-6, 2-2) led once, on Jeffrey Merritt's jumper 95 seconds into the game.
Drew Windler led Samford with 13 points and Josh Davis added 10.
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