The University of Akron Athletics
Akron Faces St. Francis University on Tuesday
December 18 | Women's Basketball
Game 11
Akron (5-5 ) vs. St. Francis (Pa.) (3-6, 0-2)
December 19, 2006 • 5:30 p.m. (EST)
Rhodes Arena (Akron, Ohio)
Television: None
Radio: WARF 1350 AM/www.GoZips.com. Bill Morgan
has the call.
Records: Akron is 5-5 on the season after a
66-58 win at Youngstown State on Saturday. St. Francis (Pa.) is 3-6
after an 85-61 loss at Sacred Heart on Dec. 9.
Coaches: Jodi Kest is in her first season at
Akron with a career record of 232-158. She picked up her first win
at Akron on Nov. 18 vs. Binghamton. Jill Poe is in her third season
at St. Francis (Pa.) with a record of 49-22.
Series: Akron leads the all-time series, 6-0.
Zips Play Host to St. Francis (Pa.) ...
Akron plays host to St. Francis (Pa.) on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. as
part of a doubleheader with the UA men. The Zips bring a four-game
win streak into the tilt.
About Akron...
Akron continued its winning ways at Youngstown State on Saturday
with a 66-58 win over the Penguins. The victory stretched Akron's
win streak to four games, its longest since the 1999-00 season.
The Zips were off to a fast start and led by as many as nine
points in the first half before Youngstown State closed out the
first period with a 7-0 run to trail 28-26 at the break. Riana
Miller and Allison Schoff led the Zips with six points each in the
first half.
Although the score remained close, the Zips put forth a much more
solid effort in the second half, with Niki McCoy scoring 16 of her
team-high 20 points in the second half. She was 4-of-8 from the
field in the second period and 7-of-8 from the free throw line.
Providing a spark off the bench for Akron was freshman guard
Danyelle Harris. Harris played 15 minutes and contributed seven
points, five assists, no turnovers and two steals. Sophomore Lauren
Stephenson again put forth another solid defensive effort in the
start.
Although limited to nine points, freshman guard Sarah Tokodi made
her presence known in other ways with a season-high six assists,
along with a season-best six steals, all the while playing all 40
minutes of the game.
Akron was able to come up with the victory despite turning the
ball over a season-high tying 23 times and were outdone on the
boards, 34-30. The Zips also struggled at the charity stripe,
hitting just 13 of 22 attempts. Youngstown State also had trouble
with the freebies, going 19-of-30.
For the season the Zips are averaging 59.5 ppg and 34.5 rebounds
per game. They have recorded 121 assists for an average of 12.1 per
game and are shooting 40 percent (206-512) from the field.
About St. Francis (Pa.)...
The Red Flash are 3-6 on the season and have already played a pair
of Northeast Conference games, with an 0-2 mark.
St. Francis (Pa.) has not played a game since December 9, an 85-61
loss at league member Sacred Heart.
Guard Lindsay Stuckey led the team with 14 points and six rebounds
in 25 minutes, while Whitney Robinson added 11 points off the
bench.
Even though she has not started a game, Christie Ayers leads the
team in scoring at 10.1 points per game, while forward Beth Halter
is the top rebounder at 6.1 per game.
As a team the Red Flash are averaging 63.9 ppg while giving up
73.6 ppg. They are also struggling on the boards, pulling down 33.0
rebounds per game while giving up 42.3 per game.
Head coach Jill Poe is in her third season at St. Francis (Pa.).
She is assisted by Jay Banaszak, Karen Hewitt and Christin
Black.
Series Business...
- This is the seventh meeting between the two schools.
- Akron has never lost to the Red Flash with the Zips holding a 6-0
advantage in the series.
- The two teams last met in the 1996-97 season, a 74-69 win for the
Zips at Rhodes Arena on Dec. 30, 1996.
Last Time Out...
Niki McCoy (Sylvania, Ohio/Northview) had 20 points and nine
rebounds and the Zips overcame a second-half deficit to come away
with a 66-58 win at Youngstown State on Saturday afternoon.
With the win, Akron reaches the .500 mark at 5-5, while Youngstown
State drops to 1-7. It is the first time Akron has been .500 10
games into the season since 1995-96.
"We did a much better job in the second half," said head coach
Jodi Kest. "The kids really came through when we needed them and
they are all excited to reach that .500 mark."
Danyelle Harris (Detroit, Mich./Oak Park HS) had seven second-half
points, including a fast break layup that gave Akron a 48-45
cushion. A pair of three-point baskets from Sarah Tokodi (Marietta,
Ohio/Parkersburg Catholic) and McCoy made it 56-52. Tokodi then
picked up two steals, resulting in a three-point Akron swing for a
59-52 lead with 2:32 remaining.
Mandy Holzer (Jordan, Minn./Jordan) came up short on the back end
of a one-and-one, but McCoy was there for the putback and a 62-54
lead with 1:29 to play. Her two free throws at :24 gave Akron its
largest lead of the second half at 66-56.
Akron struggled to break the Penguins in-bound trap all game long,
finishing the game with a season-high tying 23 turnovers but picked
up 16 assists and 12 steals.
Riana Miller (Sylvania, Ohio/Northview) had 10 points, marking the
10th-straight game that the Zips have had at least two players
score in double figures.
The Penguins battled back from a 10-point deficit to take just
their second lead of the game at 29-28 on the opening basket of the
second half. The Zips turned the ball over on five of their first
seven possessions but the deficit remained in check as they trailed
33-31 with 16:02 to play.
Akron was back on top by five with 13 minutes to play, but the
see-saw affair continued as YSU again took advantage of Akron
miscues to go back up 40-38 on Heather Karner's three-point
play.
Both teams battled the turnover bug early as the Zips built an
11-2 lead with 14:21 left in the first half. Miller had four of her
six first-half points during the stretch. Youngstown State cut into
the Zips' advantage with a 6-0 run to come within three.
Allison Schoff (Stillwater, Minn./Bloomington Kennedy) connected
on her second three pointer of the half to give the Zips an
eight-point margin at 22-12 with 8:21 remaining. Akron's largest
lead of the half came at 4:41 as a steal and fast break layup from
McCoy put the Zips up 26-16.
With just 1:12 to play that lead was cut to four with Velissa
Vaughn's three and a free throw from Ta-myra Davis making it 28-24.
Nikita LaFleur layed the ball in with just nine ticks remaining on
the clock as Akron went into the halftime break with a 28-26 lead.
Schoff and Miller led the Zips with six points each at the
half.
Akron shot 60 percent (12-20) from the field in the first half and
finished the game at 52 percent (24-46).
Single Digits...
The combination of Akron's defensive effort and a poor shooting
performance by Duquesne resulted in just nine first-half points for
the Dukes on Dec. 5 as the Zips took a 23-9 lead into the
lockerroom. It was six points of the NCAA record of three, set by
Florida State in 2003.
Fantastic Frosh...
Freshman guard Sarah Tokodi has made an immediate impact in her
first season at Akron. The converted shooting guard is playing the
point for the Zips, averaging 11.7 points per game, including 24
points at Florida Atlantic on Nov. 17. She had 15 points in her
first career start at Saint Louis on Nov. 10. In Akron's home
opener on Nov. 22 vs. Valparaiso, Tokodi led the team with 19
points, along with four assists.
Against Dayton, Tokodi matched her career best with seven rebounds
in the first half and went on to set a new mark with nine for the
game. She also topped her old assist season high with six against
the Flyers. She matched that mark in the win over Youngstown State
on Dec. 16, while also adding a season best six steals.
It was her basket with :02 remaining that gave Akron a 61-59 win
at Cleveland State on Dec. 10. Tokodi was named to the
all-tournament team at the FAU Tip-Off Classic after averaging 17.0
ppg over the two games.
Super Soph...
Sophomore Niki McCoy has picked up right where she left off after
a MAC All-Freshman team season in 2005-06. McCoy is averaging a
team-high 14.7 points per game, including her fourth career
double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds in an 55-44 win over
Binghamton (Nov. 18). With her second double-double of the season
vs. Duquesne (Dec. 5), McCoy tied her career mark with 12 rebounds
to go along with 17 points.
McCoy was key to Akron's 66-58 win at Youngstown State on Dec. 16,
scoring 16 of her season-high 20 points in the second half, while
also finishing with nine rebounds. McCoy has scored in double
figures in each of the last six games.
She holds the team's top rebounding spot with an average of 6.4
per game. She is also averaging a team-high 35.6 minutes per
game.
Third Time's a Charm...
Akron has given its fans their money's worth this year with three
of its games decided by one point. Akron was finally on the winning
end of one of those games vs. Lehigh on Dec. 3 as they held off a
late Mountain Hawks rally for a 62-61 win. In 10 games this year,
Akron has had seven games decided by 11 points or fewer and is 4-3
in those games.
It's Miller Time...
Freshman forward Riana Miller was a force on the inside for Akron
in the game against Dayton (Nov. 26), posting a season-best three
blocks to go along with 10 points. Miller also added three rebounds
and a steal to her tally, all in the span of 18 minutes played.
Against the physical, athletic Pittsburgh Panthers, Miller gave 22
solid minutes off the bench with 13 points. Miller was 5 of 7 from
the free throw line and also had four rebounds, an assist, a
blocked shot and two steals.
Proving she isn't a one-hit wonder, Miller set a new career mark
with 14 points and seven rebounds in the win over Lehigh (Dec. 3).
Coming in off the bench, Miller was 5-of-9 from the field and a
perfect 4-for-4 at the charity stripe. She also added one block and
leads the team with eight. That performance earned her a start
against Duquesne (Dec. 5), where she finished with eight points and
six rebounds.
In the win over Youngstown State, Miller was a season-best 5-of-6
from the field for 10 points.
They're Free? We'll Take Them...
After struggling at the charity stripe early in the season, Akron
found the right time to regain its shooting touch, going 20-of-22
against Lehigh in a 62-61 win on Dec. 3. Prior to the game vs. the
Mountain Hawks, the Zips were hitting the freebies at a .656
(84-128) clip. That number jumped to .693 (104-150) after the game
vs. the Mountain Hawks. For the season the Zips are 150-of-221
(.679).
Hang On To The Ball...
The Zips lucked on in the win over Lehigh (Dec. 3), managing to
overcome a 21-turnover performance. Ball handling is an area that
has been emphasized by the coaching staff and it has shown so far
this season. Seven games into last season, the Zips had accumulated
145 turnovers. That number dropped to 117 in the first seven games
of 2006, including a season-low of 10 in the win over Binghamton.
Akron has had 20 or more giveaways just three times this
season.
Did You Know?...
- A win over St. Francis would give Akron its first five-game win
streak since the 1995-96 season.
- A win over St. Francis would give the Zips six victories on the
season, surpassing their 2005-06 win total of five.
- A win over St. Francis would put Akron above .500 11 games into
the season for the first time since 1995-96 (9-2).
- The win at Youngstown State gave Akron a four-game win streak for
the first time since the 1999-00 season.
- Akron set new seasons highs for field goal percentage (.522),
Assists (16), blocked shots (five) and steals (12) at Youngstown
State.
- Niki McCoy has been Akron's leading scorer in each of the last
six games.
- Akron has five nonconference victories, its most since the
2003-04 season (five).
- Akron is 2-1 in its last three visits to Cleveland State.
- Akron's win over Duquesne was its first in three meetings.
- Akron did not have a three-point basket in the win over Duquesne
on Dec. 3, snapping a string of 125-straight games with a three.
The last time the Zips did not make a long-range bucket was on Feb.
6, 2002 vs. Central Michigan (0-4).
- The Zips win in game three this year is its earliest victory
since a season-opening 58-51 win at Maryland-Eastern Shore on Nov.
17, 2000.
- Freshman guard Sarah Tokodi has scored in double figures in six
of 10 games this season.
- The Zips' 47 rebounds vs. Duquesne was a season high.
- Akron is 4-1 when winning the rebounding battle.
- The win over Lehigh on Dec. 3 snapped an 11-game home losing
streak.
- Akron has had at least two players score in double figures in
every game this year.
- Niki McCoy has five career double doubles.
- Akron has been held under 50 points just once this year after
failing to meet the mark eight times in 2005-06.
- Both of Akron's victories in Mid-American Conference play last
season came on the road (at Toledo, at Miami).
- The win at Toledo on Feb. 8, 2006 snapped a 30-game losing streak
to the Rockets. It was also the first time Akron had beaten the
Rockets on the road since Jan. 31, 1976.
Heading in the Right Direction...
While no one was pleased with a loss, the Zips' effort against
Pittsburgh on Nov. 29 showed that the program is moving in the
right direction under first-year head coach Jodi Kest. Almost a
year ago to the day, the Zips faced the Panthers on Nov. 22, 2005
and fell 91-46. A 35-point loss, the Zips cut that number almost in
half this year, falling 74-55. While last year Akron was outscored
by an average of 12.0 ppg, this year they have cut that number to
2.5 ppg and continue to improve with every outing.
Start to Finish...
There was very little time to rest for sophomores Lauren
Stephenson and Niki McCoy in the season opener at Saint Louis on
Nov. 10 as both played a team-high 37 minutes. Stephenson was 3 of
6 from the field, along with two rebounds. McCoy tossed in 14
points but was just 5 of 16 from the floor and 4 of 7 from the free
throw line.
Stephenson played a career-high 40 minutes in the 50-49 loss to
Valparaiso (Nov. 22) and is averaging 33.1 minutes per game. McCoy
is tops in that category with an average of 36.2 minutes per game
on the hardwood.
Sarah Tokodi was also credited with 40 minutes on the court vs.
Dayton (Nov. 26) and at Youngstown State (Dec. 16) and is averaging
33.0 minutes per game.
Bring It In...
The Zips efforts from behind the three-point line didn't quite
work out as planned at Saint Louis on Nov. 10 as Akron was just 1
of 10 from behind the arc. Jessie Crooks had the most attempts but
was unsuccessful on all three tries. Allison Schoff was the lone
player to connect, going 1-for-2. Last year the Zips shot 30
percent (128-422) from long range.
Akron still struggled from the arc in game two at FAU (4-11, 36
percent) but its fortunes changed in a 55-44 win over Binghamton as
it connected on five of eight attempts (.625). The Zips made good
on just one of seven attempts (.143) vs. Valparaiso (Nov. 22) and
were shut out (0-15) in the win over Duquesne (Dec. 5). They
bounced back with five treys in the win at Cleveland State (Dec.
10), including a 3-for-3 performance from Schoff, and also had five
at Youngstown State (Dec. 16). The Zips are 33 of 108 (.306) on the
season.
Close Calls...
The Zips found themselves on the wrong end of a pair of one-point
losses this year. A 50-49 loss to Valparaiso on Nov. 22 was
followed by a 58-57 loss to Dayton on Nov. 26. Akron has been a
part of several close games with 12 games last season decided by 10
or fewer points. Akron went 4-8 in those games. This year Akron is
3-2 in games decided by 10 or fewer points.
