The University of Akron Athletics
Women's Basketball wraps up road trip Monday at Saint Peter's
November 25 | Women's Basketball
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Akron at Saint Peter's Game Notes in PDF Format
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Akron (4-1) at Saint Peter's (0-4)
Monday, Nov. 26, 2012 • 7:00 p.m. ET
Jersey City, N.J.
Yanitelli Center (3,200)
Television: None.
Live Statistics: Available at GoZips.com free of charge.
Video Stream: Available through Peacocksnetwork.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) (6:45 p.m. ET airtime).
Akron Coach Jodi Kest (Slippery Rock, 1984): Kest is in her seventh season at Akron, posting a 78-111 (.413) mark. She is 304-264 (.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.
Saint Peter's Coach Stephanie DeWolfe (Saint Peter's, 1997): DeWolfe is in her ninth season as head coach and 17th season as part of the Saint Peter's program, previously serving as an assistant coach prior to her time as a student-athlete.
The Series: Akron is just 1-2 all time versus Saint Peter's. The Zips suffered two losses to the Peacocks by more than 20 points from 2001- 03, but picked up an 87-50 victory last year at Rhodes Arena.
Akron Concludes Road Swing in New Jersey
The Zips conclude their longest non-conference road trip with a 7 p.m. tilt at Saint Peter's on Monday.
Storylines
• After a six day hiatus, Akron surprised Providence out of the Big East with a come-from-behind victory on the road, 81-78. The Zips never led in the first half and were down by as many as 14 before fighting back to tie the score at 37 before halftime.
• Junior guard Hanna Luburgh emerged with another breakout performance against the Friars, scoring 18 of her game-high 28 points in the first half on 6-of-10 shooting from the field. In UA's last two games, Luburgh has averaged 29.0 points.
• The last time Akron was 4-1 was in 2010-11 when it dropped its season-opener to IPFW before going on to win the next four straight games.
• Head Coach Jodi Kest is seeking her 79th victory as head coach at the University of Akron Monday. A win over Saint Peter's would put Kest in a tie with former coach John Street as the all-time winningest coach in program history.
• Forward Rachel Tecca was named the MAC East Player of the Week last week following two 20+ point performances against Tennessee Tech and Bryant. She has scored in double figures in all five of Akron's games this year, including two double-doubles.
• 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 Saint Peter's
The Peacocks are 0-4 so far this season. Monday will only be SPU's second home game of the year -- the Peacocks hosted Lehigh on Nov. 14 losing by two points in their closest contest of the year.
Saint Peter's was picked to finish 10th in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference preseason poll after finishing 5-26 in 2011-12 and going 4-14 in league play.
Saint Peter's lost its leading scorer to graduation and has been struggling to find a replacement, averaging 48.8 ppg as a team in its first four games. Kristal Edwards currently leads the Peacocks with 13.8 ppg. Lovisa Hagberg and Kaydine Bent are each averaging 5.8 rebounds.
Last Time Against Saint Peter's
The Zips handily defeated Saint Peter's last season on Dec. 3 , 87-50 at Rhodes Arena. Rachel Tecca had 25 points and Sina King added 13.
Akron at Providence Recap
Akron put together its most complete team win this season, taking down Providence in dramatic fashion Saturday afternoon, 81-78.
Hanna Luburgh turned in a remarkable first half for the second consecutive contest, scoring 18 of her game-high 28 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field. Sina King recorded her third double-double in five games with 17 points and 10 rebounds, and Rachel Tecca notched her third 20-plus point game, finishing with 23.
Akron never held a lead and trailed by as many as 14 points in the first half, but fought back to tie the score at 37 before halfitme.
It looked like Akron had the game locked up with 31 seconds remaining, leading by seven on a Tecca three-point play. But Providence answered with five quick points in transition from its full court press
to make it a one-possession game.
Akron clung to a two-point lead with five seconds left and Taylor Ruper at the line. She split her two shots but it would be just enough as time ran out for Providence.
Wins on Wins on Wins
Head coach Jodi Kest is in hot pursuit of becoming the all time winningest women's basketball coach in Akron's history. A victory at Saint Peter's Monday night would tie her with John Street who posted 79 wins as UA's head coach from 1982-89.
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 last week.
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 with 251. She recorded a career-high 10 assists at St. Francis (Pa.), surpassing current UA assistant coach Ayla Guzzardo in the record books. Cassell has dished out at least seven assists in each of the last four games.
Seeing Double
Rachel Tecca and Sina King have paved the way for Akron offensively through its first five games, scoring in double figures in every contest. Tecca has recorded three performances of 20 points or more, and King has three double-doubles so far this season.
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 599 so far and only needs five 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 five contests, and maintain a +18.8 scoring margin over their opponents, shooting .430 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 seven three's so far this season, bringing her career total to 191.
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 two 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.
