The University of Akron Athletics
Zips Ground Eagles, Advance to MAC Semifinals
March 11 | Women's Basketball
CLEVELAND -
The fourth-seeded University of Akron women's basketball team defeated fifth-seeded Eastern Michigan, 72-46, in the quarterfinals of the Mid-American Conference Tournament Wednesday night at Quicken Loans Arena.
With the win, the Zips (18-12) will next face top-seed Bowling
Green (25-6) in the semifinal round Friday at 2:30 p.m. at Quicken
Loans Arena. It is the just the second time Akron, which snapped a
nine-game losing streak at the MAC Tourney, has advanced to the
semifinals in school history.
UA used a 21-8 run over the final nine minutes of the first
half and the first two minutes after the half to break open up a
tight game early on with the league's No. 1-ranked offensive unit.
Akron, which leads the MAC in defense, held the Eagles (22-8) to
their lowest output since the start of MAC play and to just 31.6
percent (18-for-57) shooting from the field.
In all, it was UA's most decisive victory at the MAC
Tournament since joining the league in 1992.
Kara Murphy, who converted
9-of-11 free throw attempts, paced the Zips with 19 points and four
rebounds as UA shot 49.1 percent (27-for-55) for the game. Kyle
Baumgartner finished one point shy of a double-double with nine
points and 11 rebounds in 27 minutes while Ayla Guzzardo and Rachel Tecca each joined
Murphy in double figures with 13 points apiece.
Akron, which also shot 50.0 percent (5-for-10) from 3-point range, scored 17 points off of 14 EMU turnovers while improving to 13-1 when leading at halftime.
Akron, which also shot 50.0 percent (5-for-10) from 3-point range, scored 17 points off of 14 EMU turnovers while improving to 13-1 when leading at halftime.
Guzzardo had the hot hand
early, knocking down a pair of threes as the Zips and Eagles played
to a 20-all tie midway through the first half. But back-to-back
lay-ups by Tecca sparked an 18-8
run over the final nine minutes of the period as Akron rolled to a
38-28 lead at the break.
Guzzardo was key to during that stretch, scoring seven points
en route to a 13-point, first-half performance. The senior guard
connected on 5-of-8 attempts from the floor, including 3-of-5 from
3-point range. EMU's Tavelyn James led all scorers with 17
first-half points on 7-for-13 shooting.
The Zips shot 44.1 percent (15-for-34) from the field as a
team in the opening period while holding the Eagles to 37.5 percent
(12-for-32).
Akron scored eight of the first 10 points of the second half
to push out to a 17-point lead, 47-30, and force a time out by EMU
at the 16:13 mark.
Baumgartner got the Zips started with a mid-range jumper, then
split a pair of free throws on UA's next possession. Eastern
Michigan's Chenise Miller answered with a pair of free throws, but
four straight points from Murphy and a baseline jumper from Amber
Witt gave Akron its largest advantage of the game to that
point.
Zips Notebook: Prior to Wednesday night's
win, the UA's last victory at the MAC Tournament came during the
2001 season ... The Zips have now won three straight games against
EMU and four of their last five ... Wednesday's win was UA's first
against a West Division school at the MAC Tournament in 12 attempts
... Akron is 3-14 all-time at the MAC Tournament.
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