The University of Akron Athletics
Akron Hosts Kent State Saturday as Part of Wagon Wheel Challenge
January 14 | Women's Basketball
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Akron (7-10, 1-2) vs. Kent State (2-11, 1-2)
Saturday, Jan. 14, 2012 • 1 p.m. ET
Akron, Ohio • James A. Rhodes Arena (5,500)
Game Notes (PDF)
Television: None
Radio: Fox Sports 1350 WARF-AM. Bill Morgan (play-by-play)
Live Stats/Live Streaming: Available at www.GoZips.com. Live stats and live streaming are free of charge.
Akron Coach Jodi Kest (Slippery Rock, 1984): Is in her sixth season at Akron, posting a 67-102 (.396) mark. Kest is 293-255 (.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.
Kent State Coach Bob Lindsay (Massachusetts, 1976): Lindsay is in his 23rd season as the head coach at Kent State and has an overall record of 414-246 (.627). Lindsay has guided the Golden Flashes to 13 20-win seasons in his career.
The Series: Akron is just 6-48 all-time against KSU. The Zips last beat the the Golden Flashes in the 2009-10 season.
Akron and Kent State Battle in Wagon Wheel Challenge Game
Rivals Akron and Kent State will each look for its second MAC win of the season Saturday, as they meet at James A. Rhodes Arena. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. at the JAR.
Storylines
• UA topped the 90-point mark and placed five players in double figures to down Buffalo, 91-82 on Wednesday. Taylor Ruper scored 20 points to lead Akron, who made 11 threes as a team. The Zips also got double-figure scoring from Carly Young (17), Hanna Luburgh (15), Sina King (13), and Jasmine Mushington (10).
• The Zips have split the first two game of a stretch that sees them play six of eight games on the road. The Zips were 4-4 in MAC road games last season.
• UA has shot less than 40-percent from the field just five times this season. The Zips ranked 24th in the country in field goal percentage (.442) and 34th in 3-point percentage (.354) at the beginning of the week.
• Sina King is averaging 14.1 points and 6.3 rebounds per game since Rachel Tecca went down with an injury at Duquesne (Dec. 14). Two other Zips - Jasmine Mushington (11.3) and Taylor Ruper (12.1) - are also averaging double-figures since the Tecca injury. Akron has found a more balanced attack on offense since the injury to the First-Team All-MAC player.
• The Zips lead the MAC in scoring offense, field goal percentage, 3-pointers made per game and assists, while ranking second in 3-point percentage, assist/turnover ratio and free-throw percentage. Ti'eshia Stubbs is third in the league in field goal percentage (.525). Senior Natasha Williams leads the conference in assist/turnover ratio (2.0) and is third in assists (4.4). Taylor Ruper is first in 3-pointers made per game (3.1) and second in 3-point percentage (.427).
• Head Coach Jodi Kest needs just seven wins to join the 300-club. She has amassed 293 wins over 19-plus seasons as a head coach. At Akron, Kest has posted a 67-102 record (.396) and needs 13 wins to become the winningest coach in Zips history.
Rally Towels
The first 500 fans through the doors of Saturday's game will receive a free Beat Kent State Rally Towel. Other promotions for Saturday's game include Double ROO-wards, Student Organization Challenge, and Akron Children's Hospital Change Bandit Competition.
A Look at Kent State
The Golden Flashes enter Saturday's game with a record of 2-11 and are 1-2 in MAC play after losing at Miami, 73-55, on Wednesday. KSU defeated Ohio 68-65 on Jan. 7 to snap an 8-game losing streak.
Transfer Trisha Krewson leads the Flashes with 12.3 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. Krewson is the only player in double figures for KSU. Kent State averages just 54.4 points per game, and is allowing 69.8 points per contest.
UA Downs Buffalo, 91-82, for First MAC Win
Five Akron players scored in double-figures as Akron defeated Buffalo 91-82 Wednesday night. Taylor Ruper led the charge with 20 points on 6-of-11 shooting from three. Hanna Luburgh helped seal the win, scoring 13 of her 15 points in the game's final 5:46. Natasha Williams and Kacie Cassell each dished out seven assists as the Zips committed a season-low 12 turnovers.
Luburgh Heats Up at Buffalo
Hanna Luburgh got hot quick in Wednesday's win at Buffalo, scoring 13 of her 15 points in the games final 5:46. Luburgh shot 6-of-7 in the stretch and scored 13 of Akron's final 19 points.
Stepping Up
Since First-Team All-MAC player Rachel Tecca went down with a season-ending injury against Duquesne, several Zips have stepped up their roles on the court. Leading the way is sophomore Sina King who is averaging 14.1 points and 6.3 rebounds per game in the six games since the Tecca injury. Ti'eshia Stubbs (5.5 rpg in the last six games) and Carly Young (5.8 rpg in the last six games) have also helped pick up the slack on the boards.
Zips Once Again Light it up from Distance
Akron had another excellent shooting night from behind the arc against Buffalo, making 11-of-25 (.440) 3-pointers. It was the 4th-best 3-point effort in program history, but was not UA's best effort of the season. Akron made 12 treys in the loss to Robert Morris on Dec. 21. The program record for threes in a game is 13, set in 2005 at Central Michigan. Taylor Ruper led the way against Buffalo, making 6-of-11 from deep. Ruper owns the single-game record with eight 3-pointers and drained seven in the Robert Morris game.
Wagon Wheel Challenge
The Zips and Golden Flashes meet Saturday as part of the PNC Wagon Wheel Challenge, an all-sports competition between the two rivals. Coming into Saturday's game, Kent State holds a 3.5 - 1.5 lead. Learn more at www.wagonwheelchallenge.com
3-Point Prowess
The Zips have been lighting it up from downtown this season, making 35.6-percent of their 3-pointers. UA is the 34th best 3-point shooting team in the country. Taylor Ruper tops the team, making 41.6-percent (47-of-113) of her attempts from distance. Ruper is 21st in the country in 3-point percentage and 14th in 3-pointers made per game (2.9).
Program Reaches 1,000th Game
The Jan. 4 loss to Miami was contest number 1,000 for the Akron women's basketball program. The Zips played their first ever game - a 59-24 win over Kent-Tuscarawas - on Jan. 18, 1975. The game was the 800th all-time Division I game.
Road Warriors
Beginning with Saturday's game at BGSU, UA is in a stretch that sees it play 6-of-8 games on the road. This could be a good thing, as Akron fared better on the road than at home last season in MAC play. 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. In non-conference play this year, Akron was 3-3 away from home and 3-5 at the JAR.
Double-Double, Double-Double
Sina King (11p, 10r) and Carly Young (16p, 11r) both recorded double-doubles in the Chicago State win. It was the first time two Akron players tallied double-doubles in the same game since Young and Rachel Tecca did the feat in a 56-53 loss to Kent State last season on March 3, 2011.
Stubbs Having Great Senior Year
Senior Ti'eshia Stubbs is making the most of her senior season. Stubbs is scoring 8.1 points per contest this season, after averaging just 1.7 points per game prior to this year. She scored a career-high 18 points and added seven rebounds, three blocks and two steals in the Jan. 4 loss to Miami. Stubbs also hit a trey at the buzzer to send the game into overtime.
Record Watch
Junior guard Taylor Ruper netted 75 3-pointers last season, the second most in a season in program history, and currently stands second all-time with 148 career 3's. The program record is 183 by Michelle Chavanne. Ruper is currently third in career 3-point percentage (.376).
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 above or near the record for field goal percentage (.443, 1997-98) and free throw percentage (.722, 2007-08).
Firing on All Cylinders
The Zips have shot better than 40.0 percent from the field in all but five games and better than 40.0 percent from 3-point range in nine games this season. Akron has also finished better than 70.0 percent from the free throw line in 11-of-16 contests. The Zips rank 24th in the country in field goal percentage (.442) and 34th in 3-point percentage (.356). The Zips rank 29th nationally in scoring offense at 74.4 points per game.
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. Fellow senior Natasha Williams is fast approaching the 100-game mark, having played in 96 contests thus far in her career.
Quest for 300
Head Coach Jodi Kest owns a career record of 293-253 (.535) through 19-plus seasons, needing just eight 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.
Up Next
The Zips once again hit the road, taking on the Ohio Bobcats on Thursday. Tip-off in Athens is set for 7 p.m.
