The effort of the fight fell just short.

UNC Wilmington’s women’s basketball team fell 66-56 to Elon (17-5, 10-1 CAA) Sunday afternoon, but the Seahawks never went away against the Colonial Athletic Association’s leader.

“I have a lot of respect for Charlotte Smith. Her team is at the top of the conference for a reason,” said UNCW coach Adell Harris. “Lots of talented pieces in a lot of different areas.”

The Seahawks (8-14, 3-8) were unable to overcome the interior play of the Phoenix. UNCW managed only two points in the paint during the first half and was outscored 34-12 by the end of the game.

“The strength of our team is not [points in the paint]. When we shoot the ball well we’re going to have a chance to be competitive,” said Harris. “Our post play needs to play off that.”

The shooting was not sharp for UNCW. The Seahawks often found themselves deep in the shot clock and were forced to settle for bad shots. As a team, UNCW was 5-of-18 from three-point range, including a 3-of-9 performance from freshman Timber Tate.

It was a tough day, no matter which way the Seahawks tried to spin it. Jordan Henry’s lone bucket came in the fourth quarter. The senior forward 1-of-6 from the field to go with a team-high 11 boards. Overall, UNCW was out-rebounded 45-30.

“Across the board, everything else is relatively close,” said Harris. “We just don’t have that large a margin for error.”

UNCW has now dropped two straight games after seemingly turning a corner by winning three of four contests in the previous two weeks. It was awarded an additional CAA win after the conference overturned the decision from last month’s UNCW/College of Charleston game, though the change is not directly reflected in team records.

The Seahawks return to action on Friday when they travel to face Towson.