The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
Central Michigan
Unbeaten Central Michigan hands Women's Basketball 92-69 loss
January 26 | Women's Basketball
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MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – The University of Akron dropped its third straight game Saturday afternoon, falling to Central Michigan on the road, 92-69 in Mid-American Conference cross-divisional action.
UA (12-7, 3-3 MAC) once again out-rebounded its opponent, winning the war on the glass 44-39, but ultimately the Zips' defense could not find a remedy for MAC West Player of the Week Crystal Bradford, who led CMU (12-7, 6-0 MAC) to 53.6 percent accuracy from the field. The contest was the first one this season that Akron allowed its opponent to shoot better than 50 percent.
Rachel Tecca recorded her 10th 20-point performance of the year, putting up 18 in the first half and 24 points overall in 21 minutes of action to fuel the Zips' offense.
Sina King picked up her ninth double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Taylor Ruper knocked down four triples in the second period and had 16 points on the day, marking the fourth time in the last five games the senior has tallied double figures.
Bradford led Central Michigan with a career-high 31 points.
Tecca got the Zips on the board with a layup in the first minute of the game. Central took the lead on a quick 3-pointer, but Akron enjoyed some early success from its 2-3 zone and kept the Chippewas at bay for the early part of the first half.
Carly Young stepped in to knock down a triple in transition at the 14:50 mark to give Akron a 13-12 lead that was revoked on the following possession by one of Central's nine 3-pointers. The Chippewas began to slowly pull away, building a nine point lead and forcing an Akron timeout.
Another layup from Tecca and a pair of free throws from King cut CMU's advantage back down to five at 9:38 in the first half, but the Zips would not get any closer than that. Tecca fought for four more points in the paint before an 8-0 Central run put the Chippewas on top by 17, 43-26 with just over five minutes left in the half. By the break, CMU held an 18-point advantage at 51-33.
The second half saw the Chips ahead by as many as 26, and it wasn't until Akron scored seven unanswered points with five minutes to play that it looked like the Zips might have hit a turning point.
Kacie Cassell had two perfect trips to the charity stripe, closing the gap to 14 points with 4:23 left in the game. Central tightened its defense after that, allowing only three Akron points to its 10 in the final minutes to remain perfect in MAC play.
Akron opens up a three-game homestand next week when it hosts Bowling Green Thursday, Jan. 31 at Rhodes Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.
