The University of Akron Athletics
Kest Goes Barefoot as Zips Take on Chicago State at Rhodes Arena
December 30 | Women's Basketball
Women's Basketball Gameday Central | Buy Tickets | Women's Basketball Promotions
Akron (5-8) vs. Chicago St. (1-13)
Friday, Dec. 30, 2011 • 7 p.m. ET
Akron, Ohio • James A. Rhodes Arena (5,500)
Game Notes (PDF)
Television: None.
Live Stats/Live Streaming: Available at GoZips.com. Live Stats and Live Streaming are free of charge.
Radio: Akron-IMG Sports Network – SportsRadio 1350 AM (WARF).
Akron Coach Jodi Kest (Slippery Rock, 1984): In her sixth season at Akron, posting a 65-100 (.394) mark. Kest is 291-253 (.535) 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.
Chicago St. Coach Angela Jackson (Old Dominion, 1991): Jackson is in her ninth season as the head coach of Chicago St. women's basketball and is the program's all-time wins leader. Jackson is 111-139 (.444) at Chicago State and 117-159 (.424) overall as a head coach.
The Series: Akron and Chicago State have split four previous meetings on the hardwood. The Zips are 1-1 against the Cougars under Jodi Kest. The road team has won each of the two previous matchups.
Kest Tosses the Shoes as Zips Take on Chicago State at Rhodes Arena
Akron welcomes Chicago State to Rhodes Arena Friday. Coach Jodi Kest and her staff will coach the game barefoot in order to raise funds and awareness for Samaritan's Feet. Game time for UA's final nonconference game of the year is 7:00 p.m.
Storylines
• Akron lost its fifth-straight game Wednesday, losing 78-65 to Providence at Rhodes Arena. UA overcame an early 12-point deficit to tie the game at half 31-31. PC used a 9-0 run halfway through the second half to take control of the game.
• Sina King scored a career-high 19 points and hauled in eight rebounds in the loss to Providence. In three games since junior forward Rachel Tecca suffered a season-ending knee injury, King is averaging 14.3 points and 6.7 rebounds per game.
• UA has shot less than 40-percent from the field just four times this season. The Zips were ranked 19th in the country in field goal percantage (.450) in the last NCAA stats update (Dec. 19).
• Senior Jasmine Mushington played in her 100th career game against Youngstown State (Dec. 18). Mushington has a chance to break the school record for games played, currently held by Kara Murphy (123). Fellow senior Natasha Williams is approaching the 100-game mark, having played in 92 career games.
• The Zips lead the MAC in scoring offense, field goal percentage, and assists, while ranking second in 3-point field goal percentage and free-throw percentage. Rachel Tecca and Sina King are second and third in the league in field goal percentage, respectively. Senior Natasha Williams leads the conference in assist/turnover ratio (2.0). Taylor Ruper leads the league in 3-pointers made per game (2.9).
• Head Coach Jodi Kest 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 65-100 record (.394) and needs 15 wins to become the winningest coach in Zips history.
A Look at Chicago State
Chicago State is 1-13 coming into Friday's contest, most recently losing to Miami, 74-60, in Oxford, Ohio on Wednesday. The Cougars', members of the Great West, lone win came against Western Michigan on Dec. 6.
Janay Dockery is the lone Cougar scoing in double-figures, totaling 17.4 points per game. As a team, CSU is scoring just 49.9 points per contest and shoots 32.9-percent from the field.
Coach Kest Supports Samaritan's Feet Friday by Coaching Barefoot
Coach Jodi Kest and her staff will coach Friday's game in their bare feet in an effort to support Samaritan's Feet. Samaritan's Feet aims to draw awareness to the worldwide issue of 300 million children without shoes. To date, the foundation has donated 3.5 million pairs of shoes to needy children across the world. Fans in attendance Friday, will have the opportunity to donate $10 to the cause - the price of providing one pair of shoes to a needy child. The first 50 fans to donate a pair of youth shoes Friday will receive an Akron Basketball t-shirt.
Second-Half Run Dooms UA in Home Loss to Providence
Akron dropped its fifth-straight game, 78-65, to Providence on Wednesday. A Providence 9-0 run halfway through the second-half helped the Friars take control of the contest. Akron overcame an early 12-point deficit to tie the game, 31-31, at half. The Zips then led on three occassions in the second half before PC's surge. Sina King led Akron with a career-high 19 points and eight rebounds. Hanna Luburgh (13p), Jasmine Mushington (11p), and Ti'ishia Stubbs (10p) also tallied double-digits. Stubbs matched a career-high with eight rebounds.
Program Approaching Milestone Game
Friday's game against Chicago State will be the program's 999th all-time competition. The Zips will play its 1,000th game on Jan. 4th against Miami at Rhodes Arena.
Career Game 100 for Mushington
Senior Jasmine Mushington played in her 100th career game on Dec. 18 against Youngstown St. Mushington scored 13 points and added four assists and five rebounds in the loss. The game was the 11th start of her career.
Stubbs Having Great Senior Year
Senior Ti'eshia Stubbs is making the most of her senior season. Stubbs is scoring 7.8 points per contest this season, after averaging just 1.7 points per game prior to this year. She scored a career-high 14 points and added three blocks and three steals in the loss to Duquesne.
Record Watch
Junior guard Taylor Ruper netted 75 3-pointers last season, the second most in a season in program history, and currently stands third all-time with 131 career 3's. The program record is 183 by Michelle Chavanne. With just 10 more, Ruper would move into second place ahead of Leigh Burdette (139).
Rachel Tecca needs just 46 rebounds to move into the top 10 in career rebounds this season. She has recorded 549 so far in her career. Last season, she notched 288 boards, the third most in a season in program history.
The Zips are currently on pace to break several team marks. The record for scoring average in a season is 72.8 (1982-83), while UA is also shooting near the record for field goal percentage (.443, 1997-98) and above the mark for free throw percentage (.722, 2007-08).
Quest for 300
Head Coach Jodi Kest owns a career record of 291-253 (.535) 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.
Zips Four-Game Win Streak Snapped
Akron's loss to Florida State (Dec. 10) 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.
3-Point Prowess
The Zips have been lighting it up from downtown this season, making 35.0-percent of their 3-pointers. Taylor Ruper tops the team, making 39.6-percent (36-of-91) of her attempts from distance. Ruper made a season-high seven treys in the loss to Robert Morris, while the Zips made a season-best 12 as a team. For her career, Ruper is third in Zips history in 3-point percentage (.363), third in 3-pointers made (131) and sixth in 3-point field goal attempts (361).
Up Next for the Zips
Akron begins Mid-American Conference play on Wednesday when Miami travel to Rhodes Arena. Tip-time is 7:00 p.m.
