ELON, N.C. – An excellent first quarter of basketball wasn't enough for the College of Charleston women's basketball team (3-9, 0-1)to open its conference season with a win Monday, as Elon (9-4, 1-0) fought back to hand the Cougars a 70-57 defeat.
 
• The Phoenix captured the first lead of the game, but the Cougars battled back to take it over when Tanisha Brown scored the transition bucket to put them up 11-10. The College finished the quarter on a 6-0 run, resulting in a 22-14 lead after the first ten minutes.
 
• After the successful opening stanza, CofC surrendered a 20-2 run to Elon as the second quarter began. The Cougars would halt the blitz, but went in to the locker room at half down 38-30. Elon narrowly won the remaining two quarters by one point and four points respectively.
 
• Breanna Bolden led all players in scoring with 23 points on 8 of 20 shooting, while adding nine rebounds, four assists and three steals.  Brianna Boyd led all players in rebounding with ten, while Tanisha Brown joined Bolden in double-figures with an 11-point game.
 
• In a game where turnovers (14-14) and rebounds (46-45) were almost identical, Elon separated themselves by scoring 20 more points in the paint than the Cougars (42-22) on a night when the College struggled from the field, going 22 of 69 (31.9%). CofC outperformed Elon from the free throw line with more attempts and a vastly better percentage, but it wasn't enough to close the gap.
 
"I thought we played with a great effort to start the game," head coach Candace M. Jackson said. "Our issue was we didn't respond when Elon went on that run in the second quarter. We weren't making our shots, and that's what did us in."
 
The Cougars return to the Lowcountry for a three-game home-stand, which kicks off Friday at 6:30 p.m. in TD Arena when the College hosts William & Mary (11-1, 1-0).