The University of Akron Athletics
Zips to Battle Broncos Wednesday Night
January 25 | Women's Basketball
AKRON, Ohio - Beginning a two-game road swing with Mid-American Conference West division opponents, the University of Akron women's basketball team will take on the Western Michigan Broncos on Wednesday, Jan. 26. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. at University Arena. Sophomore Rachel Tecca leads the Zips (8-10, 1-5 MAC) into Kalamazoo, as she has notched four consecutive double-doubles and hopes to help Akron end a four-game losing streak. WMU (5-14, 1-5 MAC) has dropped its last two contests and is looking to pick up its first league win at home this season.
Game #19: Akron Zips (8-10, 1-5) at Western Michigan
Broncos (5-14, 1-5)
University Arena | Kalamazoo, Mich. | Wed., Jan. 26, 2011 | 7:00
p.m. ET
Video Stream: Available through subscription on WMUBroncos.com |
Audio Stream: FREE on GoZips.com - Bill Morgan (Play-by-Play) |
Live Stats: GoZips.com
Zips Reset
• Despite a furious second half comeback, The University of
Akron women's basketball team (8-10, 1-5 MAC) fell to visiting
Eastern Michigan (13-7, 4-2 MAC) Saturday evening at James A.
Rhodes Arena 56-51.
• Rachel Tecca led the Zips with her fourth straight double-double, scoring 19 points and hauling in 18 rebounds, equaling her career high. She has now recorded nine double-doubles this season and 12 for her career.
• The Zips held the Eagles to just 22.9 percent (16-70) from the floor, a season-best, but could not pull off a win in the end. Akron swatted a season-best eight blocks in the contest.
About Western Michigan
• The Broncos have dropped their last two games, at home
against Eastern Michigan and on the road at Ohio. Their lone MAC
victory came at Northern Illinois, 71-67, on Jan. 15. They have
already played three overtime games this season, going 1-2 in those
contests.
• WMU is paced by senior leadership, led by senior guard Taylor Manley with 14.2 points per game, followed by classmates Ebony Cleary with 12.6 ppg and 7.3 rpg and Brenna Bankston with 9.4 ppg and 6.2 rpg.
Series Side Notes
Akron has only beaten WMU four times in program history, trailing
the series 4-24 that dates back to 1992-93. Only one of those wins
has come on the road. Last season, the Zips defeated the Broncos
58-44 at home on Jan. 23, snapping a five-game losing streak in the
series. Head Coach Jodi Kest
is 1-4 against Western Michigan during her tenure at Akron.
Did You Know?
• The Zips began a stretch of taking on all three
Michigan-based conference teams in a row when they played host to
Eastern Michigan on Jan. 22, starting their MAC West swing. Next,
Akron will travel to the Great Lakes state to face Western Michigan
on Jan. 26 and Central Michigan on Jan. 29 for a two-game road
stint to complete the sweep of Michigan schools.
• Sophomore Rachel Tecca recorded her ninth double-double of the season against Eastern Michigan (Jan. 22), her fourth in a row and already the 12th of her young career.
• Tecca has scored in double figures in all but two games this season, when she only recorded six points against Duquesne (12/1/10) and four against Buffalo (1/5/11). She has led the team in scoring 14 times in 18 games.
• Tecca currently ranks fourth in the league in both scoring and rebounding with 17.1 ppg and 9.3 rpg. In league play, she is averaging a double-double with 14.5 ppg and 10.8 rpg.
• Senior forward Kara Murphy currently stands second on the Zips' all-time scoring list with 1,643 points, just 69 points behind Akron great Cheryl Bowles. She is also just 24 rebounds shy of moving into the top 10 on the career rebounds list.
• On Jan. 22 against Eastern Michigan, Murphy moved into a tie for sixth place on the career games played list with 111. Cheryl Bowles holds the record with 115, which Murphy is likely to break in her final season.
• Prior to Jan. 19, the Zips had made at least three buckets from long range in every game of the season and had knocked down 10 or more on two occasions. Their last two games, however, Akron has hit a combined total of two 3-pointers in 29 attempts.
• In league play, the Zips are averaging 3.8 blocks per contest after swatting a season-high eight against Eastern Michigan on Jan. 22. In six MAC games, they have recorded at least three denials in every game but one.
• Sophomore guard Taylor Ruper is fourth in the MAC for 3-pointers made per game, averaging 2.44 buckets per contest from long range. She also stands fifth in the league in 3-point percentage at 35.8 percent. Ruper has knocked down a triple in all but four games this season.
• Akron performs both on and off the court, as the women's basketball team placed 10 student-athletes on the Dean's List for Fall 2010. For the Fall, the team posted an overall GPA of 3.40. They also have an impressive cumulative GPA of 3.45. Making the list were senior Kara Murphy, juniors Denver McLean and Natasha Williams, sophomores Taylor Ruper and Rachel Tecca, and freshmen Kacie Cassell, Sina King, Hanna Luburgh, Brianna Moyes, and Carly Young.
• With non-conference play in the books, Akron began the second half of the season with Mid-American Conference play on Wednesday, Jan. 2. Last year, UA amassed a school-record 11 league wins to only five losses and a trip to the MAC Tournament Semifinals.
• The Zips stand fourth in the league in field goal percentage, knocking down shots at a clip of 41.8 percent on the season. The team is also fifth in scoring offense with 67.6 points per game. Sophomore Rachel Tecca contributes to both categories, as she ranks fourth in the league with 17.1 points per game and sixth with a field goal percentage of 49.6 percent.
• After being named the MAC Sixth-Player of the Year last season, sophomore forward Rachel Tecca has earned a starting role this year and is making the most of it, leading the Zips in scoring in all but four games this season. She was also named the MAC East Division Player of the Week on Nov. 29 after posting three-straight double-doubles, including a 30-point performance against Robert Morris.
• Sophomore guard Taylor Ruper is not shy from behind the arc and it pays off for the Zips, as she is fourth in the league with 2.44 3-pointers made per game. She also converts at a high rate, standing fifth in 3-point field goal percentage at 35.8 percent. Against Georgia Southern, Ruper exploded for a career-high 26 points in a thrilling overtime victory. In the win over Cleveland State, Ruper knocked down six three-pointers, a career high.
• Freshman guard Kacie Cassell has made her presence known on the floor this season with her unselfish play. The newcomer stands eighth in the league with 3.8 assists per game and fifth with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.33. She has already notched three performances of eight assists or more in a game this year.
A Look Ahead
The Zips will travel to Mt. Pleasant, Mich. to take on MAC West foe
Central Michigan (12-6, 4-2 MAC) on Saturday, Jan. 29. Tip-off is
set for 2 p.m. ET.
