The University of Akron Athletics
Akron's Hot Shooting Downs Western Michigan, 77-66
January 27 | Women's Basketball
- For only the second time in program history, the University of Akron women's basketball team earned a win at Western Michigan, 77-66. Senior Kara Murphy notched a game-high 19 points, including 10-for-10 from the charity stripe, to lead the Zips (9-10, 2-5 MAC) over the Broncos (4-16, 1-6 MAC) and end a four-game losing streak.
Akron turned in its best free throw shooting performance of the season, going 21-for-22 (.955) from the line, and also its best shooting performance of the year, hitting 53.1 percent from the floor. Sophomore Rachel Tecca recorded 15 points on 7-for-10 shooting, and junior Jasmine Mushington added 11 points, including two crucial layups in the final minutes. On the boards, Murphy led the Zips with six and freshman Sina King grabbed five.
"We shot the ball extremely well, especially at the free throw line," said Head Coach Jodi Kest. "We almost tried to give it away, but we had a big enough lead and we made shots when we needed to. Anytime you get a win on the road, you have to be very happy with that."
The game got off to a quick start, with both teams hitting their shots early. Five minutes into the contest, Akron was up 12-11 behind points from all five starters. The Zips jumped out to a seven-point lead, but Western Michigan came back to pull within one, 20-19, with 6:44 remaining in the half.
Akron delivered a balanced attack, as eight different players managed to score in the opening stanza. Right before the buzzer, Murphy hauled in an offensive rebound and drew a foul, and her pair of free throws made the score 31-27 in favor of Akron heading into the locker room.
The Zips went 13-for-26 (.500) from the floor in the first half and 3-for-3 from the charity stripe. They held the Broncos to 39.3 percent shooting and 2-for-8 from behind the arc. WMU's Maria Iaquaniello led all players with seven points and six boards. For UA, both Tecca and Ruper notched six points and Carly Young added five.
The second half continued the pace of the first, as both teams traded buckets up and down the floor. Tecca led the charge with two early layups, and the Zips maintained a slim lead for the first 10 mintutes. With 11:52 remaining, Akron was up 45-41. The Zips pushed the lead to eight, their largest of the game, on a 3 from Murphy that just beat the shot clock.
After a technical on Western Michigan's head coach and a pair of layups from Murphy and King, the Zips went ahead 56-45 with under eight minutes to play. The Broncos would not go quietly, however. Taking advantage of several UA miscues, WMU cut the deficit to eight with two minutes left. Late heroics from Mushington that included two driving layups allowed Akron to stay ahead and come away with the win, 77-66.
Next, the Zips head north to take on Central Michigan (12-7, 4-3 MAC) on Saturday, Jan. 29 to conclude their two-game road trip. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. ET in McGuirk Arena.
