The University of Akron Athletics
Zips Continue Homestand With Lehigh Sunday
December 02 | Women's Basketball
Game 6
Akron (1-5) vs. Lehigh (2-5)
December 3, 2006 • 2:00 p.m. (EST)
Rhodes Arena (Akron, Ohio)
Television: None
Radio: WARF 1350 AM/www.GoZips.com. Bill Morgan
has the call.
Records: Akron is 1-5 on the season after a
74-55 loss to Pittsburgh on Wednesday. Lehigh is 2-5 after a 57-40
loss at Ohio on Friday night.
Coaches: Jodi Kest is in her first season at
Akron with a career record of 227-158. She picked up her first win
at Akron on Nov. 18 vs. Binghamton. Sue Troyan is in her 12th
season at Lehigh with a record of 154-165.
Series: This is the first meeting between the two schools.
Zips Play Host to Lehigh Mountain Hawks ...
Game four of Akron's five-game homestand features the Zips vs.
Lehigh on Sunday afternoon at Rhodes Arena. This is the first
meeting between the two schools.
About Akron...
The Zips have dropped three straight after a 74-55 loss at home to
Pittsburgh on Wednesday night.
Akron fell behind early and could never catch up to the athletic
Panthers squad. Niki McCoy led Akron with 14 points, half of those
coming at the free throw line as she was 7-of-8 from the charity
stripe. McCoy was also one of four Akron players with four
rebounds.
Riana Miller recorded her second-straight double digit game with 13
points off the bench, topping her previous best of 10 vs. Dayton.
In 22 minutes Miller also recorded four rebounds an assist, a
blocked shot and two steals.
The Zips shot just 36 percent (18-50) from the field and were 3 of
9 (.333) from long range. The two teams went to the charity stripe
a combined 52 times, with the Zips connecting on 16 of 25
attempts.
Akron improved its turnover numbers, giving up the ball just 13
times, but Pittsburgh allowed just six takeaways in the game.
Freshman guard Sarah Tokodi was held to single digits in scoring
for the first time this season, finishing with two points.
For the season the team is averaging 58.5 points per game, allowing
66.5 per contest. The Zips are shooting the ball at at 40 percent
clip (124-309), 33 percent from three-point range (18-58). Akron's
struggles at the free throw line continue with 84 in 128 attempts
(66 percent).
About Lehigh...
The Mountain Hawks wrap up a four-game road swing with Sunday's
contest at Akron. Lehigh is coming off a 57-40 loss at Ohio on
Friday and has dropped four straight.
Forward Adrienne Blount had 11 rebounds and nine points at Ohio and
is averaging 8.4 boards per game. As a team the Mountain Hawks are
recording an average of 41.3 rebounds per game.
Melissa Rich was the only Lehigh player in double figures on
Friday, scoring 16 points as the team shot just 22 percent in the
game, going 14 of 63.
On the season Lehigh is averaging 53.4 points per game, topping the
60-point mark just once in seven games (72-65 overtime loss at
Monmouth). They are averaging 19.4 turnovers per game, including 24
vs. the Bobcats.
Head coach Sue Troyan is in her 12th season at Lehigh with a record
of 154-165. She is assisted by Glenn Rigney, Lindsay Davis and
Lauren Hall-Gregory
Series Business...
- This is the first meeting between the two schools.
Last Time Out...
Akron had nine players score and two that scored double digits, but
it wasn't enough to overcome the Pittsburgh Panthers as the Zips
fell 74-55 Wednesday night at James A. Rhodes Arena.
The Panthers (7-0) shot 11-of-26 from the field in the second half
and scored 37 points in both halves. Akron (1-5) shot a combined
9-25 from the floor in the second half, and 18-50 in the game.
The Zips were led in scoring by sophomore Niki McCoy (Sylvania,
Ohio /Northview) with 14 points and four rebounds. It was her fifth
double-figure game of the season. McCoy scored eight of her points
in the second half and went 7-of-8 from the line in the game.
Sophomore Allison Schoff (Stillwater, Minn./Bloomington Kennedy)
had a strong showing off the bench with five of her seven points
and both of her rebounds coming in the second half.
UA tried to persevere in the second half but couldn't overcome the
hole created in the first half. Akron had trailed the Panthers
since 16:40 in the first half with the largest of the leads, 70-49,
at the 2:41 mark of the second half. UA kept it close by
registering 29 boards while Pittsburgh managed to grab 39
rebounds.
"Today Pittsburgh was the better team," said head coach Jodi Kest.
"We prepared all week but they just were the more athletic team.
Pittsburgh is where we want to be in the next couple of years."
The Zips started out strong being the first to get on the board at
19:14, when McCoy drove to the basket hard putting in a layup. The
Panthers then went on an 18-4 run over the next 5:58, securing the
lead for the remainder of the game.
The Zips fought back from an 11-point deficit at 13:12, cutting the
lead to four when McCoy made her fourth consecutive free throw in
the half. That was the closest the Zips could manage against the
undefeated Panthers.
Pittsburgh went into the locker room at the half with a 37-26 lead.
The Panthers were lead by Xenia Stewart's 11 points and four
rebounds. The team shot 15-34 in the half along with 5-8 from
behind the arc. Stewart was a perfect 2-2 in that department.
Freshman Riana Miller (Sylvania, Ohio/Northview) helped keep the
Zips close throughout the game by contributing a career-high 13
points off the bench. Her seven points in the first half almost
surpassed her career-high of 10, but that mark had to wait until
15:06 of the second half. She finished the game with a 5-of-7
performance from the line.
Senior Jessie Crooks (Independence, Ohio/Independence) was just
under her season average of 10.4 points per game with nine, but had
four rebounds along with two assists. She finished the game
shooting 3-of-5 for the game and a didn't miss either of her two
free throws.
Fantastic Frosh...
Freshman guard Sarah Tokodi has made an immediate impact in her
first five games at Akron. The converted shooting guard is
averaging a team-best 13.7 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.
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 13.3
points per game, including her fourth career double-double with 14
points and 10 rebounds in an 55-44 win over Binghamton (Nov. 18).
McCoy holds the team's top rebounding spot with an average of 5.0
per game. She is also averaging a team-high 35.3 minutes per
game.
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 a season-high 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.
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
8.0 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 33.2 minutes per game. McCoy
is tops in that category with an average of 35.3 minutes per game
on the hardwood.
Sarah Tokodi was also credited with 40 minutes on the court vs.
Dayton (Nov. 26) and is averaging 31.3 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
are 19 of 58 (.328) on the season.
Close Calls...
The Zips have 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
0-2 in games decided by 10 or fewer points.
Did You Know?...
- 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 five
of six games this season.
- The Zips have won the rebounding battle twice this season
(Valparaiso, Binghamton).
- Akron has not won a game at home since Dec. 22, 2005, a string of
11-straight home losses
- Both of Akron's victories in Mid-American Conference play last
season came on the road (at Toledo, at Miami).
- Jessie Crooks had a string of 11-straight double-digit scoring
games from January 7 through Feb. 11 She hit double figures in 15
of 16 MAC regular-season games.
- Niki McCoy scored 20 or more points four times last season.
Crooks also scored 20 or more points four times last season.
- McCoy has four career double doubles.
- Jessica Deville recorded her first career double-double vs. Ohio
on Feb. 28 with 10 points and 12 rebounds.
- The win at Toledo on Feb. 8 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.
- Akron was held under 50 points eight times in 2005-06, including
a three-game stretch vs. Central Michigan (Feb. 11), Bowling Green
(Feb. 15) and Kent State (Feb. 18) at home.
