The University of Akron Athletics
Women's Basketball kicks off East Coast swing at Providence Saturday
November 23 | Women's Basketball
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Akron at Providence Game Notes in PDF Format
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Akron (3-1) at Providence (1-3)
Saturday, Nov. 24, 2012 • 2:00 p.m. ET
Providence, R.I.
Mullaney Gym (1,854)
Television: None.
Live Statistics: Available at GoZips.com free of charge.
Video Stream: Available through Friars.com - subscription required.
Radio: Akron-IMG Sports Network – SportsRadio 1350 AM (WARF) in Akron (flagship), and for free at SportsRadio1350.com and iHeartRadio. Bill Morgan (play-by-play) (1:45 p.m. ET airtime).
Akron Coach Jodi Kest (Slippery Rock, 1984): Kest is in her seventh season at Akron, posting a 77-111 (.410) mark. She is 303-264 (.534) 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.
Providence Coach Susan Robinson Fruchtl (Penn State, 1992): Robinson Fruchtl is in her first year at Providence after spending the last five seasons at St. Francis (Pa.). She was an All-American as a student-athlete at Penn State
The Series: Akron and Providence met for the first time last year on Dec. 28. The Zips fell to the Friars, 78-65 at Rhodes Arena.
Akron Heads to the East Coast
UA begins an east coast road swing this weekend, starting with a 2 p.m. clash at Providence on Saturday.
Storylines
• The Zips suffered a one-point setback last Sunday at St. Francis (Pa.) for their first loss of the season. Akron eliminated a 16-point deficit in the second half with over six minutes to play but could not hold on down the stretch.
• Junior guard Hanna Luburgh racked up a career-high 30 points in Akron's loss at St. Francis (Pa.), pouring in 15 points each half. She shot 12-of-22 (.545) from the field with three 3-pointers.
• Point guard Kacie Cassell also set a new career-best mark with 10 assists against St. Francis (Pa.). That puts her at 244 assists for her career, surpassing current Akron assistant coach Ayla Guzzardo for No. 8 all time in the program's record books.
• Forward Rachel Tecca was named the MAC East Player of the Week following two 20+ point performances against Tennessee Tech and Bryant. She has scored in double figures in all four of Akron's games this year, including two double-doubles.
• Akron won its first three games of the year for the first time since its inaugural season (1974-75). That year, Akron won its first seven straight games, and finished its short season 8-3 overall.
• 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 77-111 record (.410).
• 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 Providence
The Friars are 1-3 on the season after dropping two straight road contests against Virginia and Delaware, two teams that are receiving votes in the Associated Press Top-25 Poll.
Providence was picked to finish 15th in the Big East's preseason poll after finishing 13-17 in 2011-12 and going 5-11 in league play.
PC lost all five of its starters from last year, but have benefitted from three players averaging double-figure scoring so far this season. Veteran Symone Roberts and Brianna Edwards are both averaging 11.3 ppg. Edwards is also the team's leading rebounder, averaging 10.3 per game.
The Friars posted 92 points in their only win over Vermont on Nov. 14, marking the most points in a single game for PC since the 2007 season.
Last Time Against Providence
Saturday's game will be just the second time Akron and Providence meet. The Friars took last year's contest at Rhodes Arena by a 78-65 margin, during the early part of the season when the Zips were playing without Rachel Tecca.
Akron at St. Francis (Pa.) Recap
Hanna Luburgh exploded for a career-high 30 points but Akron was unable to complete its comeback down the stretch in a 74-73 loss at St. Francis (Pa.) Nov. 18.
Down by one point with eight seconds remaining and the ball, Akron was caught with no timeouts and failed to find a good look at a last second shot.
Kacie Cassell dished out a career-high 10 assists and Sina King finished the day with her second double-double of the season, putting up 16 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Held to just two points in the first period due to foul trouble, Rachel Tecca came back with 12 in the second half for 14 overall.
Trailing at halftime for the first time this season, the Zips overcame a 16-point deficit that stood with 6:35 on the clock but was unable to complete the comeback. SFU has now taken the last two meetings with Akron by a combined two points.
Tecca Named MAC East Player of the Week
The Mid-American Conference office announced Rachel Tecca as the Player of the Week for the East Division.
In all three of Akron's games last week, Tecca shot a combined 24-of-38 (.632) from the field, averaging 22.3 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. Nearly half of her 28 rebounds (13) were on the offensive glass. Tecca also led the team with five blocks and added six steals.
Tecca currently ranks second in the conference overall in scoring (20.0 ppg) and field goal percentage (.622), but does not appear in the top-10 in minutes played, meaning that she is posting these numbers in less time on the court than other top players across the league.
Cassell Dishes Her Way Into the Books
Akron point guard Kacie Cassell is now No. 8 on Akron's all time list for career assists after posting a career-high 10 at St. Francis (Pa.), surpassing current UA assistant coach Ayla Guzzardo with 244.
Familiar Faces
Providence head coach Susan Robinson Fruchtl is in her first season leading the Friars after spending the last five years at Akron's last opponent, St. Francis (Pa.). She led the Red Flash to three straight NEC championship games, securing two league titles and advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 2010 and '11.
Seeing Double
Rachel Tecca and Sina King have paved the way for Akron offensively through its first four games, scoring in double figures in every contest. Akron's one-two punch down low has also recorded double figure rebounds twice this year.
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 592 so far and only needs 12 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 produced its first 3-0 start since its inaugural season in 1974-75. The Zips have scored over 70 points in each of their first four contests, and maintain a +22.8 scoring margin over their opponents, shooting .416 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 has netted five three's so far this season, bringing her career total to 189.
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 AllMAC 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.
