The University of Akron Athletics
Women's Basketball faces off against St. Francis in 'Battle of the Unbeatens'
November 17 | Women's Basketball
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Akron at St. Francis (Pa.) Game Notes in PDF Format
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Akron (3-0) at St. Francis (Pa.) (2-0)
Sunday, Nov. 18, 2012 • 2:00 p.m. ET
Loretto, Pa.
DeGol Arena (3,500)
Television: None.
Live Statistics/Video Stream: Available at GoZips.com — webcast and live statistics free of charge.
Radio: None.
Akron Coach Jodi Kest (Slippery Rock, 1984): Kest is in her seventh season at Akron, posting a 77-110 (.412) mark. She is 303-263 (.535 in 20+ seasons as a collegiate head coach. Kest was named the 2010 Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year, and has guided the Zips to Cleveland for the conference tournament for the past three consecutive seasons.
St. Francis (Pa.) Coach Joe Haigh (Notre Dame, 1995): Haigh is in his first season as head coach of the Red Flash after spending four years as the top assistant.
The Series: Akron is 8-1 all time against St. Francis (Pa.) The Zips will be out to avenge a one-point overtime loss to the Red Flash from Nov. 22, 2011 at Rhodes Arena.
Akron Returns to the Road for Second Game in Three Days
The University of Akron women's basketball team travels to St. Francis (Pa.) for the battle of the unbeatens on Sunday.
Storylines
• UA cruised to a 78-56 victory over Bryant at Rhodes Arena Friday night for its second home win of the year.
• The Zips improved to 3-0 for the first time since Akron's inaugural season (1974-75). That year, Akron won its first seven straight games, and finished its short season 8-3 overall.
• Forward Rachel Tecca enters Sunday's contest in the wake of back-to-back games with 20+ points as well as consecutive double-doubles.
• Tecca surpassed 1,000 career points with two free throws at the 13:27 mark in the first half against Tennessee Tech on Tuesday. She totaled 26 points in the contest, including 18 in the first half.
• Point guard Kacie Cassell broke into Akron's top-10 all time for career assists Friday night with seven assists against Bryant. She now has 234 assists early in her third season at UA.
• Head Coach Jodi Kest, now in her seventh season at the helm of the program, needs just three wins to become the winningest coach in Akron women's basketball history. She has amassed 303 wins over 20+ seasons as a head coach. At Akron, Kest has posted a 77-110 record (.412).
• Tecca, a two-time All-MAC selection, was named to the Preseason All-MAC squad for the second straight year. The Zips were picked to finish third in the East behind Miami (Ohio) and Bowling Green, which received 16 and 13 first place votes, respectively.
• Akron's 2012-13 schedule features contests with nine different opponents that played in postseason tournaments last year.
A Look at St. Francis (Pa.)
The Red Flash was recently picked to finish fourth in the Northeast Conference preseason poll after being the league favorite in 2011-12.
St. Francis is 2-0 so far this season with two eight point wins over Howard and Bucknell.
Junior forward Alli Williams leads St. Francis through its first two games, averaging 21.0 points and 9.5 rebounds - which includes a 19-board effort in SFU's win at Bucknell. She currently ranks fourth in the NEC in scoring and first in rebounding. Nickia Gibbs is also averaging double figures with 12.0 points
St. Francis returns three starters and 13 letterwinners from a team that finished 14-16 last season, and tied for fourth place in the NEC with an 11-7 mark.
Last Time Against St. Francis
Sunday's game will be the 10th time in history that Akron will take on St. Francis (Pa.). The Zips will be looking to avenge a one-point overtime loss from Nov. 22, 2011 at Rhodes Arena.
Bryant at Akron Recap
Rachel Tecca picked up her second double-double in as many games, leading both scorers with 27 points as Akron sailed to a 78-56 victory over visiting Bryant Friday night.
Hanna Luburgh joined Tecca in double figures, with 16 points and eight rebounds. She made 6-of-14 field goals and 4-of-6 tries from the charity stripe. Seven of her rebounds were off the defensive glass.
Bryant (0-3) never threatened and UA led by 35 points on three occasions down the stretch, after holding a 41-20 margin at the half. Maureen Leahy and Naana Ankoma-Mensa each put up 10 points for the Bulldogs.
Cassell Dishes Her Way Into the Books
Akron point guard Kacie Cassell moved into the program's top-10 list all time in career assists after posting seven in the win over Bryant Friday night. She now has 234 assists early in her third season at UA.
Tecca Reaches 1,000
With two free throws at the 13:27 mark against Tennessee Tech, Rachel Tecca picked up points 999 and 1,000 of her career, becoming the first player to reach the milestone since Kara Murphy in 2008-09.
And She Can Rebound, Too
Tecca is also likely to move into the top 10 in career rebounds this season, as she has recorded 574 so far and only needs 30 to claim 10th place on the all-time list. She already holds the record for the third most rebounds in a season in program history, when she pulled down 288 in 2010-11.
Strong Start
Akron is off to its first 3-0 start since its inaugural season in 1974-75. Scoring over 70 points in each of its first three contests, the Zips maintain a +30.7 scoring margin over their opponents, shooting .413 from the field as a team. UA also leads the MAC early in the season in scoring offense and defense.
Ruper From Downtown
After becoming Akron's all-time leader in 3-pointers made at the end of last season, this year Taylor Ruper will see how far she can go in distancing herself at the top of the record books. Ruper picked up all 12 of her points on the three ball Tuesday night, going 4-for-11 from 3-point land and bringing her career total to 188.
Preseason Predictions
For the second consecutive season, the Zips were picked third in the MAC East Division behind Miami (Ohio) and last year's regular season champion, Bowling Green. Last season, Akron finished third in the East and sixth in the conference overall with a 7-9 record. Sina King earned All-MAC Second Team honors and Taylor Ruper received Honorable Mention.
Also for the second straight year, Rachel Tecca was one of five players in each division selected to the Preseason All-MAC team. An All-MAC selection in each of her two full seasons at Akron, Tecca was averaging 17.0 points and 7.6 rebounds per game in 2011-12 before her season was cut short due to injury.
Kest Reaches 300 Wins
Head Coach Jodi Kest picked up win No. 300 of her 20 year career as a collegiate head coach when the Zips defeated Buffalo for the third time last season in the opening round of the MAC Tournament. She now needs just three more victories to become the winningest coach in Akron women's basketball history.
Bridging the Gap
Akron fields a unique roster this year with six experienced upperclassmen and pool of six newcomers that includes five freshmen. Coach Kest has maintained that the team will only be as good as the freshmen are able to play, as a big key to the Zips' success this year will be finding a balance between the abilities of the returners and newcomers.
Tecca and the 2013 WNBA Mock Draft
Rachel Tecca was projected to be selected 27th overall in the 2013 WNBA Mock Draft recently released by DraftSite.com. Tecca was anticipated to be taken with the third pick in the third round by the Tulsa Shock. She was one of just two MAC players to be included in the mock draft, along with Miami (Ohio) guard Courtney Osborn who was slated to be selected right before Tecca with the 26th overall pick. In addition to Tecca, the Shock was predicted to take Delaware's Elena Delle Donne as well as Brittany Chambers out of Kansas State.
Leading Scorers
The 2011-12 team was the most prolific scoring team in Akron women's basketball history, amassing 2,361 total points and averaging 73.8 per game. The season marked the first time in 13 years that the Zips averaged over 70 points per game.
Zips Go Costal
The University of Akron women's basketball team started 2012-13 off with a foreign tour to Costa Rica. The team spent eight days touring the country and participating in teambuilding activities like ziplining and white water rafting. They also hosted a youth basketball clinic and played two games against the Costa Rican national team. The NCAA allows a program to participate in an international trip once every four years should they choose to do so, and grants the team an additional 10 offseason practice days in preparation.
MAC Standings
Akron finished last season at or near the top of several big statistical categories in the Mid-American Conference. The Zips' 73.8 points per game ranked first in scoring offense among all MAC teams. UA also led the league in 3-pointers made (7.0) and assists (15.3). The team was second in the conference in free throw percentage (.740), field goal percentage (.421) and 3-point percentage (.344). Individually, Taylor Ruper finished second in 3-pointers made, averaging 2.8, and Sina King was 10th in scoring with 12.4 points per game.
