Sunday, March 9th, 8:30 p.m. (et)

FACTS & STATS: Site: North Charleston Coliseum (13,600) -- Charleston, South Carolina. Television: SportsSouth. Home Record: Elon 8-6, CofC 8-4. Away Record: Elon 3-12, CofC 4-10. Neutral Record: Elon 2-0, CofC 4-2. Conference Record: Elon 9-11, CofC 9-11. Series Record: College of Charleston leads, 6-2.

GAME NOTES: A couple of underdogs collide in the semifinal round of the Southern Conference Tournament tonight, as the seventh-seeded Elon Phoenix tangle with the sixth-seeded College of Charleston Cougars. The winner of this bout will move on to the finals against either Davidson or UNC Greensboro on Monday. Despite a 9-11 record in conference play during the regular season, the Phoenix were able to find success in this tourney, downing 10th-seeded Furman (52-37) in the first round and upsetting second-seeded Chattanooga (60-57) in the quarterfinals on Saturday. This is Elon's second semifinal round appearance since it joined the league five years ago. As for CofC, it clawed its way to tonight's game with victories over 11th-seeded The Citadel (66-48) in the first round and third-seeded Georgia Southern (87-73) in the quarterfinals on Saturday. The Cougars, who reached the finals of this event last season, won their lone championship back in 1999. CofC leads the all-time series with Elon, 6-2, but the teams split a pair of meetings during the regular season.

Ola Atoyebi put-back a missed shot with 20.9 seconds, lifting Elon to an upset of Chattanooga on Saturday. Atoyebi finished with a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds, while Brett James logged 12 points and eight boards. Montell Watson chipped in with 11 points for the Phoenix, who held Chattanooga to a dismal 34.7 percent shooting from the field. For the season, Atoyebi and James are tied for the team-lead in scoring at 12.4 ppg, with Atoyebi grabbing a club-best 6.4 rpg and James snaring 5.4 rpg. Watson contributes 10.9 ppg and he is also dishing out a team-high 3.5 apg. Overall, the Phoenix aren't an explosive team by any means, as they are scoring just 62.9 ppg. The squad though, has done a decent job on defense, limiting foes to 65.5 ppg.

The Cougars shot a blistering 60.0 percent from the field, including a 10- of-18 effort from downtown, as they knocked off Georgia Southern on Saturday. The team also held a decisive 23-7 advantage in free-throw points in the win. Tony White Jr. led the charge with 19 points, while Jermaine Johnson logged 18 points and eight rebounds. Andrew Goudelock added 13 points and five assists and he leads the team in scoring for the season at 13.4 ppg. White Jr. nips at his heels with 13.3 ppg and he also hand outs a team-best 2.8 apg. Johnson is one of the top rebounders in the league at 8.6 rpg and he also contributes 11.3 ppg, while Dustin Scott turns in 10.4 ppg and 6.7 rpg. As a team, the Cougars are averaging a solid 72.8 ppg on 46.1 percent shooting from the field.

The Cougars have a few more weapons than Elon and that should help them outlast the Phoenix for the win tonight.

Predicted Outcome

College of Charleston 70, Elon 60