The University of Akron Athletics
Zips Run Ends with 69-56 Loss to Northern Illinois
March 04 | Women's Basketball
Freshman
Riana Miller (Sylvania,
Ohio/Northview) had a career game with 23 points but Akron (10-19)
saw its season come to an end with a 69-56 loss to Northern
Illinois (18-11) in the first round of the Kraft MAC Women's
Basketball Tournament at Quicken Loans Arena Sunday afternoon.
Trailing by as much as 20 in the second half, Akron battled back
to within eight at just under three minutes remaining in the
contest.
Sarah Tokodi (Marietta,
Ohio/Parkersburg[W.Va.] Catholic) had four of her 19 points during
the comeback.
"Our kids never gave up," said head coach
Jodi Kest. "I thought we
did a good job taking care of the ball and had some good looks at
the basket that just didn't go in."
The Zips gave up the ball just 12 times while converting 19 NIU
turnovers into 27 points.
Shooting woes plagued Akron as it finished at 34 percent (23-67)
from the field and a paltry 13 percent (2-15) from three point
range. The Zips did convert eight of nine free throws, but that
paled in comparison to the Huskies' 29 trips to the charity
stripe.
Ending the first half strong, the Zips continued the trend to open
the second period and cut the Huskies' lead to 12 when
Lauren Stephenson's
(Reynoldsburg, Ohio/Reynoldsburg) bucket made it 42-30. Northern
Illinois responded with a 10-2 run and Akron's deficit was back to
20.
Seven points from Miller sparked a 12-2 Akron run and the NIU lead
was down to 10 at 54-44 with 9:58 to play. The streaky game
continued with the Huskies holding the Zips scoreless over the next
three minutes.
Miller broke the drought with two free throws but NIU was up by a
comfortable 61-46 margin as the clock ticked under seven minutes.
The lead looked in jeopardy when a steal and basket from Tokodi put
the score at 61-50. A repeat play from Tokodi at 3:01 had Akron
back within single digits (62-54) for the first time since early in
the first half.
Up by two early, the Zips saw that lead evaporate as the Huskies
came back for an 12-4 advantage with 13:38 to play.
Jessie Crooks
(Independence, Ohio/Independence) had all four points as Akron was
just 2 of 12 from the field. Standing out near the NBA three-point
line, Kylie York hit back-to-back three-point shots for NIU as it
expanded the lead to 21-10. NIU was 4 of 8 from three-point range
over the first 10 minutes of action.
Akron's shooting problems continued as the Huskies led by as many
as 21 (35-14) in the half. It was just 6 of 22 (27 percent) as
Northern Illinois converted a pair of free throws for a 28-14 lead
at 7:51.
Miller scored her 12th point of the first half on a dish inside
under the basket and the Zips were back to within 13 at 38-25 with
:30 on the clock.
That was the score at the half as the Zips finished at 31 percent
(11-36) from the field and just 1 of 8 from three-point range.
Miller was 5 of 7 on shot attempts and was also tied for top
rebounding honors with four. Tokodi has seven points as just four
Akron players contributed on the offensive end.
