The University of Akron Athletics
Women's Basketball Travels to Duquesne for Wednesday Showdown
December 13 | Women's Basketball
Akron (5-4) at Duquesne (7-1)
Wed., Dec. 14, 2011 • 7 p.m. ET
Pittsburgh, Pa. • A.J. Palumbo Center (4,406)
Television: None.
Live Stats/Live Streaming: Available at GoDuquesne.com. Live Stats are free of charge. Live Streaming is subscription based
Radio: Akron-IMG Sports Network – SportsRadio 1350 AM (WARF). Bill Morgan (play-by-play)
Akron Coach Jodi Kest (Slippery Rock, 1984)
Is in her sixth season at Akron, posting a 65-96 (.403) mark. Kest is 291-249 (.538) in 19-plus 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.
Duquesne Coach Suzie McConnell-Serio (Penn State, 1988)
A Women's Basketball Hall of Famer and former WNBA Coach of the Year, coach McConnell-Serio is in her fifth season at Duquesne. She owns a 86-49 (.637) at Duquesne.
The Series
Duquesne leads the all-time series 3-1. The Dukes took the match-up last season, a 69-58 contest at Rhodes Arena.
Zips Face Duquesne Wednesday in Pittsburgh
After having its four-game winning streak snapped by Florida State on Saturday, Akron returns to the court with a road match-up at Duquesne.
Storylines
• Akron returns to the court after having a four-game winning streak snapped by Florida State on Saturday. Rachel Tecca (21 p, 9 r) and Taylor Ruper (15 p) led the Akron attack in the loss.
• Rachel Tecca's 21-point effort against the Seminoles was her third-straight 20-plus point game. Tecca is currently second in the MAC at 18.2 points per game.
• Akron shot below 40-percent from the field for just the second time this season in the loss to Florida State. The Zips rank 12th in the nation in team field goal percentage at 45.9-percent.
• Featuring a balanced attack, six Akron players are averaging at least 7.0 points per game, while five players pull down 3.2 rebounds per game or more. Nine players see significant action on a regular basis, averaging at least 13.4 mpg.
• The Zips lead the MAC in scoring offense, field goal percentage, and assists, while ranking second in 3-point field goal percentage, 3-pointers made per game, free throw percentage, assists and assist/turnover ratio. Senior Ti'eshia Stubbs leads the league in field goal percentage (65.1), while Rachel Tecca and Sina King are third and fifth, respectively. Junior Taylor Ruper is second in 3-point field goals per game (3.0) 3-point field goal percentage (45.8).
• Akron is 1-1 versus Duquesne under coach Jodi Kest. The Zips defeated the Dukes 55-43 in Akron back in 2006-07, Kest's first year in Akron.
• Head Coach Jodi Kest, now in her sixth season at the helm of the program, needs just nine wins to join the 300-club. She has amassed 291 wins over 19-plus seasons as a head coach. At Akron, Kest has posted a 65-96 record (.403) and needs 15 wins to become the winningest coach in Zips history.
A Look at Duquesne
Duquesne brings a 7-1 record into Wednesday's matchup and have won five-straight since losing at North Dakota on Nov. 20. Included in that streak are wins over MAC East teams Miami and Ohio. The Dukes also defeated MAC East squad Buffalo earlier in the season.
Duquesne is led by senior guard Alex Gensler (17.5 ppg, 3.3 apg) and sophomore forward Wumi Agunbiade (16.6 ppg, 6.8 rpg). Vanessa Abel (10.6 ppg, 5.4 apg) is also a strong contributor for the Dukes.
Chasing 1,000 Points
Entering the season, Rachel Tecca had tallied 809 career points through 62 games. With 164 scored so far this season, she needs just 27 to join the 1,000-point club. Last season, she scored 475 points, the fifth most in a season in program history.
Zips Four-Game Win Streak Snapped
Akron's loss to Florida State snapped a four-game winning streak. A victory over FSU would have equaled a stretch of five wins from the 2009-10 season from Jan. 23 to Feb. 6. The four-game streak matched a streak that the Zips accomplished twice during the 2010-11 season, once in non-conference play and once during MAC play.
Firing on All Cylinders
The Zips have shot better than 45.0 percent from the field in all but three games and better than 40.0 percent from 3-point range in five games this season. Akron has also finished better than 70.0 percent from the free throw line in six consecutive contests. The Zips rank 12th in the country in field goal percentage (45.9) and 30th in 3-point field goal percentage (35.8). The Zips rank 34th nationally in scoring offense at 75.7 points per game.
Record Watch
Junior guard Taylor Ruper netted 75 3-pointers last season, the second most in a season in program history, and currently stands fifth all-time with 122 career 3's. The program record is 183 by Michelle Chavanne. With just 18 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 546 so far in her career and needs 49 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 291-248 (.540) through 19-plus seasons, needing just nine 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.
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 third in Zips history in 3-point percentage (.371), fifth in 3-pointers made (122) and sixth in 3-point field goal attempts (329).
Up Next
Akron returns home to Rhodes Arena on Sunday for a contest with local rival Youngstown State. Tip-off is set for 2:00 p.m.
