The University of Akron Athletics
Murphy, Baumgartner Lead Zips Past Toledo
January 31 | Women's Basketball
Sophomore Kara Murphy's 22 points paced the way as the
University of Akron women's basketball team defeated Toledo, 64-62,
in front of 755 fans Saturday afternoon at Rhodes Arena.
In a game that saw 11 ties and eight lead changes, the Zips (8-12,
3-4 Mid-American Conference) got some clutch baskets and used a
swarming defense to defeat the Rockets (11-9, 5-2) for the third
time in their last four meetings.
Amber Witt's jumper with 2:07 left broke a 60-60
tie and a basket by Murphy with 26.4 seconds sealed the victory. A
late jumper by Toledo's Tanika Mays off a Kyle
Baumgartner block brought the visitors to within two, but a
running jumper by Jessica Williams fell just short as time expired,
giving the Zips their third league win of the season.
"It was a great team effort today and I'm really proud of the way
we responded following a tough loss against Ball State last
weekend," said UA head coach Jodi
Kest. "I thought we learned a lot from that loss and it showed
today. We took care of the ball, we played solid defense and we
shot the ball well."
Baumgartner also hit double figures for Akron with a career
high 17 points. on 8-for-15 shooting from the floor. She also added
nine rebounds, coming one board shy of her third double-double.
Murphy, who connected on 7-of-14 field goal attempts –
including 3-for-6 from 3-point land, and Baumgartner both reached
double figures by halftime, combining to shoot 11-for-14 from the
field before intermission.
In all, the Zips received scoring contributions from eight
different players. Amber Witt and Victoria
Arndt added six points apiece while Jasmine
Mushington and Ayla Guzzardo chipped in with four.
"I thought Jasmine provided a big spark off the bench and Ashley
(Veal) gave us a lift defensively," Kest said. "Everybody
played a role in this win."
Veal led all players with a career high three blocked shots while
Mushington added a rejection and a pair of steals. Jolene
Tamboue was active on the glass and on defense with seven
rebounds and a pair of steals in 23 minutes.
Akron shot a blistering 49.6 percent (28-for-57) for the game,
including an outstanding 18-for-27 (66.7 percent) during the first
twenty minutes. UA won the battle in the paint, outscoring the
Rockets, 32-20. The defense also paid dividends, turning 18 Toledo
turnovers into 21 points.
Mays' 16 points led three players in double figures for Toledo.
Lisa Johnson came off the bench for the third straight game to chip
in 12 points, her eighth time this season with 10 or more points.
Williams also added 12 as the Rockets were able to make 53.8
percent (7-for-13) of their 3-pointers against the MAC's best team
at stopping triples.
From the tip, the Zips came out on fire, connecting on five of
their first seven field goal attempts. A steal and subsequent
3-point play by Murphy gave UA the early four-point lead, 14-10,
but a 15-4 Rockets run over the next 3:17 handed the Zips their
largest deficit of the first half.
Murphy would then beat the shot clock with a 25-foot jumper to tie
the game with 6:43 left before halftime, highlighting a 14-5 spurt
that put Akron back on top. It looked as if the Zips would take a
three-point advantage into the locker room, but a 3-pointer by
Williams from just past half court banked in off the glass to
conclude a closely-contested first stanza.
The women head to Northern Illinois Wednesday to take on the
Huskies at 8 p.m. EST, before returning to Rhodes Arena next
Saturday (Feb. 7) for an afternoon match-up against Eastern
Michigan. Game time for that contest is slated for 2 p.m.
Zips Notebook: The Zips set season highs for field goals
made (28), field goal percentage (66.7 percent) and blocks (7) ...
UA held its opponent to less than 65 points for the second straight
game and for the 11th time in 20 contests overall in 2008-09. The
Zips are 7-4 in that scenario ... Murphy, who is the MAC's scoring
leader, has now hit double digits 41 times in her career, including
16 times this season. She has also hit 20 or more points 16 times
... With the win, Akron claimed its third league victory of the
season. The total matches its most recorded against the MAC since
the 1999-2000 season when UA was 7-9 vs. the conference.
