The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
Ohio
Women's Basketball Loses Overtime Thriller at Ohio
January 19 | Women's Basketball
ATHENS, Ohio – A Tenishia Benson free throw with .7 seconds in overtime was the difference as The University of Akron women's basketball team lost to Ohio, 72-71, at the Convocation Center Thursday night.
Sina King led Akron with 15 points and a career-high 16 rebounds, making a runner with seven seconds left in regulation to knot the game at 62-62. 13 of King's 15 points came in the second half. Taylor Ruper and Hanna Luburgh also scored in double figures with 14 and 12 points, respectively. Benson led OU with 23 points.
Akron (8-11, 2-3 Mid-American Conference) shot 43.3-percent (26-of-60) from the floor in the game and were 7-of-16 (.438) on 3-pointers. The Bobcats (9-10, 2-3) countered with a 42.6-percent (26-of-61) effort from the field and also made 7-of-16 from the perimeter.
Benson was awarded a pair of free throws after Carly Young was whistled for her fifth foul with just .7 seconds remaining in the extra period. Benson made the first freebie and missed the second intentionally, allowing time to expired. OU scored six of its ten overtime points at the stripe.
Ruper gave UA its only overtime lead, 65-63, when she made a deep trey – her fourth of the game – with 3:30 to play. Ohio would extend its lead to two on three different occasions with Akron responding to tie the game each time. Luburgh's lay-up with nine ticks left tied it at 71-71, before Benson drew the foul on Young. In all, the game saw 16 lead changes and 14 ties.
OU was hitting from the field early, using a 7-of-10 start from the field to leap out to a 17-8 lead. Meanwhile, Akron struggled early shooting just 3-of-8 in the first six minutes of the game. Akron would recover, however, going on a 11-4 run to cut the Bobcat lead to 2, 21-19, on a Ti'eshia Stubbs 3-pointer with 7:56 to go in the first half.
A nice post-up move and bucket by Stubbs would tie the game, 24-24, a few minutes later. Luburgh then buried a fade-away jumper from the foul line to give UA its first lead of the game, 26-24, with 4:28 on the first half clock. Ohio would then retake the lead, 30-28, on Benson's jumper in the lane with less than a minute to go in the half.
Luburgh led Akron with 9 first half points, as Akron shot 10-of-25 (.400) in the period. The Zips were 4-of-8 (.500) from behind the arc, but OU outdistanced UA in points in the paint, 14-6.
The entire second half was tightly contested, with neither team leading by more than four. The Bobcats stretched the lead to 36-32 early in the half, but Akron scored six straight to once again grab the advantage. The spurt was capped by two straight inside scores by King. OU would again push the advantage out to four on several different occasions, with Akron answering the bell each time.
Akron took its largest lead of the half, 60-57, on four straight points from King including a 15-foot jumper with 3:52 to play. Ohio bounced right back and took a 62-60 lead on an Alesia Howard basket off a pick-and-roll, with 2:59 on the clock.
King provided the heroics at the end of regulation, taking the ball at the foul line, driving to her left, and putting in a runner with seven seconds to play. King then stole a Benson baseline pass to ensure overtime.
The Zips will get little rest, as they travel to Ball State on Sunday. Game-time in Muncie is 1:00 p.m.
Zips Notebook: Akron falls to 0-3 in overtime games this season ... Sina King's previous career-best rebounding total was 10, doing it last against Chicago St. on Dec. 30.
