Citadel suffers 8th straight loss

Citadel coach Chuck Driesell went from young to younger with his starting lineup Saturday night, but it wasn't quite enough to prevent the Bulldogs from losing their eighth straight basketball game.

Elon sophomore Jack Isenbarger scored 34 points as the Phoenix held on for a 71-66 win at Alumni Gym in Elon, N.C.

Driesell started three freshmen -- Lawrence Miller, Marshall Harris and Jordan Robertson -- while moving veteran guards DeVontae Wright and Cosmo Morabbi to the bench. At one point in the second half, The Citadel had five freshmen on the floor.

The rookies helped The Citadel jump out to an early 14-5 lead, but the Bulldogs could not come up with key stops after cutting a nine-point gap to 63-61 with 1:11 left.

Elon (12-10, 7-4 Southern Conference) scored six straight points, all on free throws, for a 69-61 lead.

"A tough loss," said Driesell, whose team dropped to 4-19 overall and 1-11 in the SoCon. "These guys have worked hard enough to win. We're just not there yet."

Miller, making his second start, hit five 3-pointers and scored 15 points for the second straight game. Center Mike Groselle, limited to 26 minutes by foul trouble, had 14 points and eight rebounds before fouling out for the first time this season.

"Mike didn't have one of his better games, but other guys picked it up," Driesell said. "C.J. Bray and Jordan Robertson picked up the slack, and Bo Holston did a nice job.

"Our pressure defense was good tonight. Our guards got out and pressured the ball. We got better tonight, as a team and as individuals."

But the Bulldogs could do little about Isenbarger, who made 11 of 16 shots (5 of 8 from 3-point range) for his 34 points, third-most by a SoCon player this season. He had played 47 of 50 minutes and scored 25 points in Elon's 99-98, double-overtime win over College of Charleston on Thursday.

The Bulldogs led at halftime - their first halftime lead over a SoCon team on the road this season - and sliced a nine-point deficit to 63-61 on Harris' bank shot off the top of the backboard with 1:11 left.

Sebastian Koch hit two free throws for Elon, and then made two more after The Citadel missed two jump shots. After a Groselle turnover, Isenbarger hit two free throws for a 69-61 lead with 11 seconds left.

The Bulldogs are at home against Davidson on Thursday and Georgia Southern on Saturday.