The University of Akron Athletics
Zips Finish Homestand With Duquesne
December 04 | Women's Basketball
Game 8
Akron (2-5) vs. Duquesne (5-3)
December 5, 2006 • 7:00 p.m. (EST)
Rhodes Arena (Akron, Ohio)
Television: None
Radio: WARF 1350 AM/www.GoZips.com. Bill Morgan
has the call.
Records: Akron is 2-5 on the season after a
62-61 win over Lehigh on Sunday. Duquesne is 5-3 on the season,
most recently picking up a 70-42 win vs. Morgan State.
Coaches:
Jodi Kest is in her first
season at Akron with a career record of 228-158. She picked up her
first win at Akron on Nov. 18 vs. Binghamton. Dan Durkin is in his
14th season at Duquesne with a record of 174-200.
Series: Duquesne leads the series, 2-0.
Zips Play Host to Duquesne Dukes ...
Akron wraps up its five-game homestand with the Duquesne Dukes on
Tuesday night at Rhodes Arena. This is the third meeting between
the two schools, with the Dukes winning both of the previous
contests.
About Akron...
The Zips finally got over the one-point hump with a 62-61 win over
Lehigh on Sunday afternoon at Rhodes Arena.
Sophomore
Niki McCoy led the way with
19 points, including a critical 8-of-10 performance at the free
throw line. McCoy shot 50 percent (5-10) from the field and also
added seven rebounds to up her team-leading average to 5.3 per
game.
Freshman
Riana Miller had another
solid outing off the bench with 14 points and seven rebounds.
Miller was clutch in the paint, nailing 5-of-9 field goal attempts,
and was a perfect 4-for-4 at the charity stripe. Miller and McCoy
also combined for Akron's two blocked shots in the game.
For just the third time this season, Akron won the battle of the
boards with 37 to Lehigh's 30. The Zips are 2-1 when taking control
of the glass, but are still struggling on the offensive boards with
just nine in their last outing.
Akron picked a perfect time to improve its free throw shooting as
the Zips needed every point in the close victory. Akron made good
on 20 of 22 attempts for a season-best .909 percentage. Four of the
five players who went to the line for Akron were perfect.
For the season the Zips are averaging 59.0 ppg and 32.6 rebounds
per game. They have recorded 81 assists for an average of 11.6 per
game and are shooting 41 percent (143-352) from the field.
About Duquesne...
The Dukes are riding a two-game win streak and have won three of
their last four entering Tuesday night's game at Rhodes Arena. At
last week's Cornell Classic, Duquesne picked up wins over Radford
(70-62) and Morgan State (70-42). The Zips and Dukes have played
one common opponent in Pittsburgh, with both teams falling to the
Panthers.
Loui Hall has been the team's top scorer with an average. of 13.6
points per game and a team-best 8.3 rebounds per game. Hall had 10
points and six rebonds in the win over Morgan State.
Crashing the boards is a specialty of the Dukes, averaging 39
rebounds per game, including 47 in their last outing vs. Morgan
State. They also have 18 blocks on the season.
Head coach Dan Durkin is in his 14th season at Duquesne with a
record of 174-200. He is assisted by Tanya Gerner, Mike Iuzzolino,
Doug West and Nikolina Pender.
Series Business...
- This is the third meeting between the two schools.
- Duquesne is a perfect 2-0 in the series, including last year's
72-54 win at the A.J. Palumbo Center in Pittsburgh.
-
Jessie Crooks had 15 points
in the game, one of two Akron players in double figures.
Niki McCoy was held to just
three points on 1-of-7 shooting.
Last Time Out...
Sophomore
Niki McCoy (Sylvania,
Ohio/Northview) scored a season-high 19 points and grabbed seven
rebounds to lead the University of Akron women's basketball team to
its first home win of the season in a 62-61 decision over Lehigh
Sunday afternoon at Rhodes Arena.
"I'm very excited we were able to win a close game," Akron head
coach
Jodi Kest said. "Lehigh
played hard, but in the end we were able to survive."
With the win, Akron snapped a three-game home losing streak and
improved to 2-5 on the season, while the Mountain Hawks fell to
2-6. Three of the Zips last four games have been decided by one
point.
In addition to being the first home victory on the season,
Sunday's game was also the first home victory for Akron since Dec.
22, 2005, snapping a string of 11 straight home defeats. McCoy was
one of three Zips in double-figures as freshman
Riana Miller (Sylvania,
Ohio/Northview) and freshman
Sarah Tokodi (Marietta,
Ohio/Parkersburg Catholic) scored 14 and 11 points,
respectively.
A three-pointer by McCoy with 8:04 remaining capped off a 12-4 run
that gave UA its first lead, 41-39, since late in the first half.
The long-range jumper came during a stretch in which McCoy scored
nine straight points and helped rally the Zips from a 35-29
deficit.
Lehigh regained the lead momentarily on its following possession -
thanks to a three-pointer by Kristen Dalton, who finished with a
game-high 20 points, but McCoy scored on Akron's next two series to
put the Zips on top for good.
As a team, Akron shot 44.2 percent from the floor and 36.4 percent
from beyond the arc. The Zips also shot 90.9 percent from the
charity stripe, including 6-for-6 in the final 30 seconds of
regulation, to seal the victory.
"When we needed free throws, we made them," Kest said.
The Zips' free throw shooting became much more crucial after a
three-pointer by Dalton at the final horn cut the Akron lead to
1.
The Zips were efficient in their offensive set in the first half
with a 47.1 shooting percentage as a team while limiting Lehigh to
27.6 percent. But UA, which was paced by eight points from Miller
and seven points from sophomore
Lauren Stephenson
(Reynoldsbug, Ohio/Pickerington), continued to struggle with
turnovers, committing 14 miscues that led to 12 Mountain Hawks
points. Additionally, Lehigh grabbed nine offensive rebounds and
hit five three-pointers, behind a trio of triples from Sara Ellis,
and took a 30-26 lead at the intermission.
Fantastic Frosh...
Freshman guard
Sarah Tokodi has made an
immediate impact in her first seven games at Akron. The converted
shooting guard is averaging 13.3 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 a team-high 14.1 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 5.3 per game. She is
also averaging a team-high 35.9 minutes per game.
Third Time's a Charm...
Akron has given its fans their money's worth this year with three
of its last four 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 seven
games this year, Akron has had five games decided by 11 points or
fewer and is 2-3 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 to
her team-leading total of six.
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 at .656
(84-128) clip. That number jumped to .693 (104-150) thanks to
Sunday's effort.
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 has dropped to 117 so far this year,
including a season-low of 10 in the win over Binghamton. Akron has
had 20 or more giveaways just twice this season.
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
6.7 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 35.9 minutes per game
on the hardwood.
Sarah Tokodi was also
credited with 40 minutes on the court vs. Dayton (Nov. 26) and is
averaging 31.1 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 23 of 69 (.333) 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
1-2 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 seven games this season.
- Akron is 2-1 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 four 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.
