The University of Akron Athletics
Women's Hoops to Host Bonnies Saturday at 3 p.m.
November 21 | Women's Basketball
Akron Zips (1-0) vs. St. Bonaventure Bonnies (3-0)
James A. Rhodes Arena (5,500) • Akron, Ohio • Sat.,
Nov. 22, 2008 • 3 p.m. (EST)
The Opening Tip
After a rousing defeat of Michigan in its season opener,
the University of Akron women's basketball team's three-game
homestand continues Saturday afternoon when St. Bonaventure comes
to Rhodes Arena for a 3 p.m. match-up.
On The Dial
WARF (Sports Radio 1350 AM) will carry the broadcast locally in
Akron. Rob Gidel, who is in his first season with
the Zips, will have the call.
On The Web
The broadcast will also be available on the Internet via streaming
audio on www.GoZips.com.
Series Breakdown
Series: Akron trails 0-1 since 1991-92.
UA Series Streak: L1
Last 10 Meetings: 0-1
Last Meeting: L, 59-75 at SBU on 12/06/91.
Notes: Akron has faced St. Bonaventure just once in program
history, falling 75-59 in its first game at the St. Bonaventure
Tournament on Dec. 6, 1991.
Coaches
• Jodi Kest (Slippery Rock, '84) begins her third
season at Akron where she is 18-43 (.295). Kest has a career mark
of 244-196 (.555), spanning more than 16 seasons as a head coach
overall. Kest led the Zips to a 7-24 record, including 2-14 in the
MAC, last winter.
• Jim Crowley (Keuka, '93) is in his ninth year at St.
Bonaventure where he has a record of 80-141 (.346). Crowley has a
career mark of 129-179 (.423), spanning more than 11 seasons as a
head coach overall. Crowley led the Bonnies to an 18-12 record,
including 6-8 in the Atlantic 10 Conference, last winter.
Zips Reset
Akron used a balanced attack and a swarming defense to rally past
Michigan, 58-49, Monday night at Rhodes Arena. It was the Zips'
first season-opening victory since 2000 and just its second win
against a school from the Big Ten Conference in 13 all-time
meetings.
Freshman Kyle Baumgartner scored 14 points and grabbed 10
rebounds to lead the Zips to their first ever win against the
Wolverines, who fell to 1-1 on the young season. In all, UA
received scoring contributions from nine different players with
senior Ashley Veal joining Baumgartner in double figures
with 12 points in 19 minutes.
Trailing 38-37 with 11:53 to play, Akron scored the next 10 points
to spark a 17-5 run over the span of 10 minutes to pull away. The
spurt was a collective effort as seven different UA players chipped
in – led by four points from Baumgartner – while forcing
nine Michigan turnovers during that time.
A 3-pointer Courtney Boylan cut the Akron lead to six, 49-43, with
3:12 ticks to go, but Amanda Sedlack countered with a lay-up and
Veal sunk a pair form the charity stripe with 1:37 left to push the
lead back to 10 points, 53-43, and hold off the Wolverines.
For the game, UA out-rebounded Michigan, 43-37, and held the
Wolverines, who were coming off a 70-60 road win at Kentucky, to
just 28.8 percent shooting (15-for-52) from the floor. Conversely,
the Zips weren't much better, hitting 34.5 percent (19-for-55) of
their shots, but forced 22 U-M turnovers and got a huge boost from
their bench, which out-scored the Michigan reserves, 38-11.
About St. Bonaventure
The Bonnies put together back-to-back winning seasons for just the
second time in the program's 37-year history in 2006-07 (16-15) and
2007-08 (18-12) and are off to a 3-0 start this winter, posting
wins against Binghamton (66-51), Buffalo (77-58) and Canisius
(60-56). St. Bonaventure returns nine letterwinners and all five
starters from a team that set the school's Division I single-season
record with 18 victories a year ago.
Head coach Jim Crowley, who is in his ninth season at SBU, is the
longest-tenured head coach in the Atlantic 10 Conference. Junior
Dana Mitchell, an A-10 second teamer last season after averaging
18.1 points per game, is off to a fast start – averaging 16.3
points and 8.7 rebounds in three games in 2008. Mitchell and guard
Katelyn Murray combined for 40 points in the Bonnies' win over
Canisius Wednesday night.
Brief History
The Zips and Bonnies will be squaring off for just the
second time in the all-time series following the initial meeting
during the 1991-92 season. SBU defeated UA, 75-59, on Dec. 6, 1991
in St. Bonaventure, N.Y. as part of the St. Bonaventure Tournament.
It will be the second straight game in which an opponent will be
making their first ever appearance at Rhodes Arena. Michigan made
its initial trip to Akron in the Zips' season opener last Monday
night.
Uncharted Territory
Akron's victory against Michigan was its first
season-opening victory since 2001, its first win against a Big 10
school since 1989 and its first win ever against the Wolverines in
four meetings.
That being said, the Zips will have the opportunity to check off
another first Saturday when they take on St. Bonaventure. With a
victory, Akron would start the season with a 2-0 record for the
first time in Division I program history, dating back to the
1983-84 campaign.
Versus the Atlantic 10
Akron is 10-18 all-time versus teams from the Atlantic 10
Conference, including a 1-3 mark last season. UA defeated Saint
Louis, 81-77, in its home opener (Nov. 14) last year before
suffering defeats to Dayton (85-64, Dec. 2), Xavier (84-59, Dec.
28) and Saint Joseph's (81-75, Jan. 5).
Double-Double Debut
It's hard to imagine a better freshman debut from center
Kyle Baumgartner, who posted 14 points and 10
rebounds in 29 minutes against Michigan Monday. The 6-foot, 3-inch
local product (North Canton Hoover High School) scored eight points
in the first half and six more after the break to lead all scorers.
Akron players recorded a total of five double doubles in 31 games
last year.
Speaking of Firsts...
In total, six players made their Akron debuts Monday
night. Sophomore Amber Witt, a transfer from Canisius, and junior
Jolene Tamboue, a transfer from Independence
Community College, earned starting roles while junior Ayla
Guzzardo, a transfer from Shelton State Community College, and
freshmen Kyle Baumgartner, Jasmine
Mushington and Natasha Williams were key contributors off
the bench.
Defense Leads the Way
The Zips put Monday's game away due in large part to a
17-5 run over a span of roughly 10 minutes midway through the
second half. During that time, Akron held Michigan scoreless for
6:37, forced nine turnovers and limited the Wolverines to just
1-for-9 shooting from the field.
U-M's 49 points scored for the game marked the lowest total
recorded by an Akron opponent since the 2006-07 season when UA
defeated Niagara, 69-42, on Dec. 29.
The Bench Bunch
Although bench scoring was a major weakness for the Zips a
year ago, the UA reserves were a major factor versus Michigan,
out-scoring their counterparts 38-11. Baumgartner led the unit with
14 points, while senior Ashley Veal added 12 as all five reserves
scored.
Last season, Akron's bench accounted for just 461 (24.0 percent) of
the team's 1,927 points scored.
Coach Kest Chasing 250 Career Wins
Third-year UA head coach Jodi Kest
enters Saturday's game just six wins shy of 250 for her career,
spanning more than 16 seasons. Kest amassed 48 victories in her
first head coaching job at Wilkes University before compiling 105
in six seasons at Gannon. Before coming to Akron, she recorded 73
in four seasons at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
Kest, who owns a career mark of 244-196 (.555), was hired to be the
ninth head coach in Akron women's basketball history in 2006.
