The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
Bowling Green
Women's Basketball Faces St. Francis in Midweek Action
November 21 | Women's Basketball
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St. Francis (Pa.) (0-3) at Akron (1-2)
Tues., Nov. 22, 2011 • 7 p.m. ET
Akron, Ohio
James A. Rhodes Arena (5,500)
Television: None.
Live Streaming: Available free of charge at GoZips.com.
Live Statistics: Available free of charge at GoZips.com
Radio: Akron-IMG Sports Network – SportsRadio 1350 AM (WARF) in Akron (flagship), 1420 WHK in Cleveland, 1440 WHKZ in Warren/Youngstown, and for free at SportsRadio1350.com. Bill Morgan (play-by-play).
Akron Coach Jodi Kest (Slippery Rock, 1984):
Is in her sixth season at Akron, posting a 60-92 (.395) mark. Kest is 286-245 (.539) in 19 seasons as a collegiate head coach. She was named the MAC Coach of the Year in 2010 after leading UA to a school-record 18 wins.
St. Francis Coach Susan Robinson Fruchtl (Penn State, 1992):
In four seasons at SFU, Fruchtl has guided the Red Flash to back-to-back NEC titles and consecutive berths in the NCAA Tournament, including a 13-seed in 2011, earning her NEC Coach of the Year honors.
The Series: The Zips are a perfect 8-0 against St. Francis, dating back to 1984-85. The last meeting came on Dec. 5, 2007 in Loretto, Pa., where Akron took a 61-53 victory.
Akron Welcomes St. Francis (Pa.) to the JAR
After finishing the Preseason WNIT with a 1-2 record and a 67-60 loss to Drexel, the Zips look to bounce back against a St. Francis squad that is looking for its first win of the season. Akron has never lost to the Red Flash in eight all-time meetings.
This game features the SAAC food drive, where fans will receive a free Akron water bottle with a canned food donation.
Storylines
• The Zips are coming off a 67-60 loss to Drexel to conclude the Preseason WNIT. Junior guard Taylor Ruper led UA with 12 points, all on 3-pointers. All nine Zips that saw playing time recorded at least two points. The second half saw an offensive shoot-out, as each team shot better than 56 percent and made at least 16 field goals.
• With a strong offensive start to the season, Akron ranks first in the MAC in field goal percentage (.453) and third in 3-point percentage (.370), as well as second in 3-pointers made per game (6.7) and tied for first in assists per game (15.0). Featuring a balanced attack, eight players average at least 5.0 points per game.
• Akron returns 10 letterwinners and four starters from last year's team that finished 14-16 overall and 6-10 in MAC play, capped by a 73-65 loss in the MAC Tournament quarterfinals to Toledo, who went on to win the WNIT.
• Junior forward Rachel Tecca, a first team All-MAC selection after a tremendous sophomore campaign, was named to the Preseason All-MAC squad. The Zips were picked to finish third in the East behind Bowling Green and Miami (Ohio).
• Head Coach Jodi Kest, now in her sixth season at the helm of the program, needs just 13 wins to join the 300-club. She has amassed 287 wins over 19+ seasons as a head coach. At Akron, Kest has posted a 61-94 record (.395) and needs 19 wins to become the winningest coach in Zips history.
• The last time SFU visited the JAR, the Red Flash suffered a 71-54 defeat (Dec. 19, 2006).
A Look at St. Francis
Last season, the Red Flash won their seventh NEC regular season title and won the conference tournament for the second-straight year, earning a 13-seed in the NCAA Tournament. Coach Susan Robinson Fruchtl garnered NEC Coach of the Year honors, and guard Brittany Lilley won the NEC Tournament MVP award.
This year, SFU was picked to defend its conference title in the NEC preseason poll. Lilley is out for the season with an ACL injury, however. The Red Flash have yet to earn a win this year, going 0-3 with losses to Duquesne, Pittsburgh and Syracuse.
Drexel Downs Akron 67-60 in Preseason WNIT Finale
In the third and final game of the Preseason WNIT, the Zips dropped a close 67-60 contest to Drexel on Nov. 19 at James A. Rhodes Arena. The Zips finished the tournament with a 1-2 record. Junior guard Taylor Ruper led the Zips with 12 points, all on 3-pointers, as nine Akron players scored. Junior forward Rachel Tecca had a frustrating night, finishing with eight points and six rebounds on 4-of-16 shooting. Drexel was carried by a 33-point effort from Kamile Nacickaite.
Tecca Powers Akron Past Howard in Comeback Win, 64-63
With 14 second-half points and the winning lay-up in the closing seconds, junior forward Rachel Tecca led Akron over Howard, 64-63, in the Preseason WNIT on Nov. 18. Tecca finished the game with 17 points on 5-of-7 shooting and 7-of-9 from the free throw line. Sophomores Carly Young and Hanna Luburgh each added nine points, and senior Jasmine Mushington added eight points and eight rebounds.
Zips Fall 61-81 at No. 2 Notre Dame in Preseason WNIT
Akron fell on the road at No. 2 Notre Dame 81-61 in a hard-fought contest. The Zips out-rebounded the Irish 44-38 and forced 27 turnovers, but Notre Dame scored 50 points off 46 UA turnovers that proved to be the difference. Rachel Tecca led the Zips with 13 points and eight rebounds, while Carly Young added 10 points and five boards.
Hanging Tough
Against the Irish, Akron made eight 3-pointers and held ND to just two. The Zips also fared better at the free throw line, finishing at 63.6 percent to ND's 61.9 percent, and won the battle on the glass 44-38. Despite UA's 46 turnovers, the Zips managed to force 27 by Notre Dame and score 61 points against the 2011 National Finalists.
Akron Opens Season with Exhibition Contest
The Zips began the 38th season of Akron women's basketball with an exhibition contest at home against Ohio Dominican University. Akron cruised over the Panthers, winning 97-43 as six Zips reached double figures, led by junior forward Rachel Tecca with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Sophomore Hanna Luburgh led all scorers with 20 points on 8-for-11 shooting, including 4-for-5 from 3-point range. Overall, UA finished 37-for-74 (.500) from the field and 8-for-23 (.348) from distance.
Preseason Predictions
The Zips were picked third in the MAC East division behind MAC Tournament champion Bowling Green and Miami (Ohio). Last season, the Zips finished fourth in the East with a 6-10 record. Junior forward Rachel Tecca was also one of five players in each division selected to the Preseason All-MAC team. Tecca was an All-MAC first team honoree last year after finishing eighth in the league in scoring (15.8 ppg) and fourth in rebounding (9.6 rpg).
Chasing 1,000 Points
Entering the season, Rachel Tecca had tallied 809 career points through 62 games. With 38 scored so far this season, she needs just 153 to join the 1,000-point club. Last season, she scored 475 points, the fifth most in a season in program history.
Record Watch
Junior guard Taylor Ruper netted 75 3-pointers last season, the second most in a season in program history, and currently stands eighth all-time with 102 career 3's. The program record is 183 by Michelle Chavanne. With just 38 more, Ruper would move into second place ahead of Leigh Burdette (139).
Rachel Tecca is likely to move into the top 10 in career rebounds this season, as she has recorded 500 so far and needs 105 to claim 10th place on the all-time list. Last season, she notched 288 boards, the third most in a season in program history.
Quest for 300
Head Coach Jodi Kest owns a career record of 287-247 (.539) through 19+ seasons, needing just 13 more wins to total 300 for her career. In 2009-10, she guided the Zips to a school-record 18 wins and was named the MAC Coach of the Year.
Preseason WNIT
For the first time in program history, the Zips are one of 16 teams competing in the Preseason WNIT. Each team is guaranteed to play at least three games as part of the event. Akron faced Notre Dame in the first round and was selected as a host site for the consolation rounds. The Zips welcome Detroit, Drexel and Howard to James A. Rhodes Arena for a four-game slate on Nov. 18 and 19.
3-Point Prowess
Last season, the Zips finished fifth in the MAC in both 3-point percentage (.332) and 3-pointers made per game (5.6). Taylor Ruper led UA with a 38.3 3-point shooting percentage, good for fourth in the league, and 2.5 3's made per game, placing her second in the league. For her career, Ruper is tied for third in Zips history in 3-point percentage (.355), eighth in 3-pointers made (102) and eighth in 3-point field goal attempts (287).
Scheduling Tough
This season, the Zips will face 12 teams that participated in postseason play last year. Four went to the NCAA Tournament, five to the WNIT and three to the Women's Basketball Invitational. In all, Akron will play at least 15 games against postseason participants from last year. There are also two ranked teams on the schedule, as UA played at No. 2 Notre Dame to open the regular season, and No. 14/19 Florida State will visit the JAR on Dec. 10. Prior to the season-opener, Akron had not faced a ranked opponent since Dec. 5, 2008 at No. 23 Xavier.
Strength in Numbers
Akron returns 10 letterwinners from last year's squad and four starters. Additionally, five players started at least 12 games last season. Rachel Tecca returns at forward as UA's leading scorer (15.8) and rebounder (9.6). Three other players also return that averaged over 7.0 ppg. In total, Akron returns 56.5 ppg, which is 85 percent of their 66.3 points per game last year.
Newcomer Notes
• Tatiana Haynes - Jr., G, 5-8, Pontiac, Mich./Jacksonville (Texas) JC: Averaged 13.5 ppg in her second year at Jacksonville College and was named to the All-Conference team...Two-time first team All-Conference player at Rochester HS.
• Candace Martino - Fr., G, 5-7, Pittsburgh, Pa./Bethel Park HS: Averaged double figures in scoring all four years...Finiished with 1,130 career points...Named to All-Section and All-Conference teams.
• Brittani Thomas - Fr., G, 5-10, Columbus, Ohio/Africentric Early College: Two-time first team All-City league...Won state championship as a sophomore...Team won district championship all four years.
Road Warriors
Once the MAC season kicks off, the Zips will have to play six of their first nine league games on the road. This could be a good thing, as Akron fared better on the road than at home last season. UA posted a 2-6 league record at the JAR and a 4-4 mark on the road in 2010-11. The 4-4 road record matched the best ever for Akron in the MAC since 1999-2000.
Postseason Recap
Akron finished fourth in the East and earned the No. 8 seed in the MAC Tournament. Western Michigan came to the JAR for a first round match-up, which the Zips won 76-65 to advance to Cleveland. At Quicken Loans Arena, UA played top-seeded Toledo in the quarterfinals and nearly pulled off the upset, dropping a close 73-65 decision.
For their performances in 2010-11, four Zips earned postseason conference honors, led by Rachel Tecca becoming the third player in program history to make the first team All-MAC squad. Senior and all-time leading scorer Kara Murphy was named All-MAC honorable mention, while Carly Young was selected to the All-MAC Freshman team. Finally, Jasmine Mushington was named Co-Sixth Player of the Year after averaging 7.2 ppg and 2.5 rpg off the bench.
Academic Achievement
The Zips excelled not only on the court last year but in the classroom, as well. Rachel Tecca became the seventh Zip in program history to make the All-MAC Academic team and the first to be named to the Capital One Academic All-District squad. As a team, Akron was honored by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association for having the 14th-best team GPA in the country with a mark of 3.405.
