The University of Akron Athletics
Women's Basketball takes on Buffalo Saturday in Play 4Kay game
February 01 | Women's Basketball
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Buffalo (7-13, 5-2) at Akron (13-7, 4-3)
Saturday, Feb. 2, 2013 • 2 p.m. ET
Akron, Ohio
James A. Rhodes Arena (5,500)
Television: None.
Live Statistics: Available at GoZips.com
Video Stream: Available at MAC-sports.com.
Radio: Akron-IMG Sports Network – SportsRadio 1350 AM (WARF) in Akron (flag- ship), 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 87-117 (.426) mark. She is 313-270 (.537) 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.
Buffalo Coach Felisha Legette-Jack (Syracuse, 1989): Legette-Jack is in her first season as the head coach at Buffalo after spending the last six seasons as the head coach at Indiana University. The Hoosiers made three postseason appearances with 18 or more wins during her tenure.
The Series: Akron trails the all-time series with Buffalo, 14-20, but the Zips have won the last four straight meetings with the Bulls, including the first round of the 2012 MAC Tournament. The Zips are 7-6 versus Buffalo under Kest.
Akron Rides Momentum Into Showdown Saturday
After righting the ship against Bowling Green on Thursday, the Zips continue their homestand against Buffalo at 2 p.m.
News, Notes and Storylines
• UA came back to win after being down at halftime for the first time this year, handing Bowling Green a 68-63 loss at Rhodes Arena Thursday.
• The victory marked Akron's first win over Bowling Green since Feb. 10, 2001, and just the third over the Falcons in the history of the program.
• Hanna Luburgh notched the first double-double of her collegiate career, scoring 25 points (17 in the second half) and pulling down a career-high 15 rebounds.
• Luburgh and Rachel Tecca teamed up to score as many points as Bowling Green's entire team in the second half (27).
• Akron out-rebounded its opponent for the third straight game and the 11th time this year, winning the battle on the glass 42-29.
• Tecca continued her double-figure scoring streak, and has now reached double digits in all 20 of Akron's games this season.
• Taylor Ruper ranks seventh all-time in the MAC for career 3-pointers made with 233.
• Point guard Kacie Cassell is ranked fourth in the nation in assists per game at 7.4. She needs 10 assists to break the program's single season record.
• The Zips have been ranked in the top-20 nationally in scoring offense for the past eight consecutive weeks. They are currently 12th, averaging 75.6 points per game, making UA the second-highest scoring mid-major team in the country, behind Central Michigan.
• Akron has won the last four straight meetings with Buffalo, and six our of the last seven. Both teams enter Saturday's game with 3-0 records against MAC East opponents this season.
• Saturday has been designated as UA's Play 4Kay game. The Zips will wear pink jerseys, and pink t-shirts will be sold for $10 with all proceeds going towards the Kay Yow Cancer Fund.
A Look at the Bulls
Buffalo comes to Akron at the top of the East Division standings with a 5-2 league record. On the heels of back-to-back wins, UB most recently took down Miami on the road Thursday, 78-70. The Bulls are also 3-0 against East opponents, with victories over Ohio and Kent State.
UB fields three players averaging double figure scoring, led by the injured Rachael Gregory with 10.7 ppg. Cherridy Thornton and freshman phenom Mackenzie Loesing are posting 10.5 and 10.4 ppg.
As a team, Buffalo leads the MAC in conference play on the defensive glass, averaging 29.3 d-boards a game. Christa Baccas is the team's top rebounder, pulling down 8.4 per contest.
Last Time Against Buffalo
Akron went off for 58 first half points and shot 53.3 percent from the field as the Zips had no trouble defeating Buffalo for the third time last year in the first round of the MAC Tournament at Rhodes Arena on Feb. 3, 2012.
Five Zips would finish in double figures, led by Sina King and Taylor Ruper with 21 and 20 points, respectively.
Bowling Green at Akron Recap
Hanna Luburgh notched the first double-double of her career, scoring a game-high 25 points and jumping out of the gym for a personal-best 15 rebounds en route to Akron's gutsy 68-63 victory over Bowling Green at James A. Rhodes Arena.
The victory snaps a three-game skid for the Zips, marking the first time UA has defeated BGSU since Feb. 10, 2001, and just the third time overall in the history of the program.
Trailing 36-32 at halftime, Akron came from behind for the first time this season to win, sparked by Luburgh's brilliant second half. The junior posted 17 points and 10 boards after the break, and teamed up with Rachel Tecca to score as many points as Bowling Green's entire team in the second frame. The Zips' defense held BGSU to just 29.4 percent shooting from the field in the second half.
Tecca finished the night with 18 points and seven rebounds in 26 minutes of action. Sina King joined her in double figures with 15 points and four boards.
Akron dominated the glass as a team, out-rebounding the Falcons 42-29 on the night.
Streak Stopped
Akron's win over Bowling Green snapped a 19-game losing streak to the Falcons, but was big for another reason. Remember when Dayton came to town ranked 16th in the nation? The Flyers are now 18-1, and their only loss is to BGSU.
Beast of the East
Although Akron has played MAC West Division opponents in four out of its last five games, it has exhibited some early dominance on its own side of the league. The Zips are 3-0 against the East entering Saturday's contest with Buffalo.
80 Percent of the Time, It Works Every Time
The Zips have seen success so far this year when Rachel Tecca has scored 20 or more points in a game. In addition to scoring in double figures in all 20 contests, Tecca has scored 20 or more points on 10 of those occasions. Akron is 8-2 when she surpasses the 20-point plateau.
Getting to the Line
Rachel Tecca and Sina King get to the free throw line more than anyone in the conference in league play. King has the best free throw percentage for players with 20 or more attempts at .882, connecting on 30-of-34. Tecca has appeared at the stripe a league-leading 54 times in conference play.
A Little Streaky
With the win at Northern Illinois on Jan. 16, Akron tied its longest winning streak of the season at four games, mirroring its two four-game winning streaks from 2010-11.
Luburgh Makes It Rain
Hanna Luburgh has been shooting the lights out since conference play started. Through the first six league games, Luburgh is shooting a blistering 54.2 percent from the field. She also ranks 14th in the nation in 3-point field goal percentage, converting 42.7 percent of her attempts from behind the arc. At Northern Illinois, the junior connected on 7-of-11 attempts, including 4-for-4 from 3-point range.
Winning Big
The Zips' 93-58 rout of Kent State on Jan. 13 was the biggest win over a Mid-American Conference opponent since joining the league in 1992-93.
Out of the conference, Akron's 41-point margin of victory over Chicago State on Jan. 3 was the second-largest against a Division I opponent in program history, behind the Zips' 46-point win at Saint Peter's earlier this year on Nov. 26.
Keeping It Balanced
Akron has produced at least three players in double figure scoring in all 20 of its games this year - five players have reached double digits twice, and four players have hit the mark six times.
Nine Is Fine
Akron's nine non-conference wins this year mark the most non-league victories in a single season in the history of the program.
Traveling Experts
Over the course of the non-conference season, the Zips have amassed 4,249 total miles in the air and on the road traveling to away games in the first half of the season.
Mid-Major Favor
The Akron women's basketball team once again received votes in this week's CollegeInsider.com Mid- Major Top 25. With the men's program now up to No. 9 in the poll, Akron is one of 12 schools in the country (and the only one in the MAC) to see both its men's and women's teams either ranked or receiving votes.
How Can I Assist You?
The Zips have had no problem sharing the wealth this year, coming up 10th in the national rankings for assists per game as a team. Akron averages 17.3 dimes a contest, five more than the national average. UA's 1.07 assist/turnover ration is No. 23 out of 345 Division I teams.
King Earns MAC Honors
Akron forward Sina King was named the Mid-American Conference East Division Player of the Week on Dec. 17. This is the second time in her career King has earned this distinction, and she is the third Zip this season to receive the weekly award. King put up a new career-high 25 points and 11 rebounds against Cincinnati for her sixth double-double of the year.
Ruper Hits Century Mark
Senior guard Taylor Ruper played in her 100th career game in an Akron uniform Dec. 18 against Dayton. She has now started 81 consecutive games for the Zips.
Hats Off to the Grad
Before Akron's big win over Cincinnati on Dec. 15, Rachel Tecca graduated with her bachelor's degree in marketing management. The Tallmadge native, who holds redshirt junior athletic eligibility, will begin pursuing her MBA this semester.
Getting Buckets
The Zips have ranked in the nation's top-20 in scoring offense for the last eight weeks (as high as sixth), averaging 76.0 ppg, 14 points higher than the national average (62.4). Akron is now one spot behind Central Michigan as the highest scoring mid-major team in the country at No. 12. Just under 25 percent of that offense comes from behind the 3-point arc.
Triple Threat
It is no secret where Akron gets its offensive prowess from this season. The Zips' top three scorers in Rachel Tecca, Hanna Luburgh and Sina King combine for over 64 percent of Akron's total points per game, and all are averaging in double figure scoring. The three starters are ranked one through three among all juniors in the MAC in scoring, and all fall inside the nation's top-75 in field goal percentage.
Akron RPI
After the first six games of conference play, Akron's RPI sits at 161. The Zips have the third-best RPI in the MAC East and the fifth-best in the conference overall. Toledo has the lowest RPI in the league at 42, followed by Central Michigan (50), Bowling Green (94) and Miami (114).
Building A Legacy
With Akron's win over Canisius on Dec. 1, head coach Jodi Kest surpassed former UA coach John Street for the most wins as a head coach in the history of Akron women's basketball. Street coached the Zips from 1982-89 and was the only male coach to ever lead the program. Now in her seventh season, Kest continues to develop the program that posted the greatest single-season win total in the history of the program in 2009-10.
Two in a Row
Akron fielded back-to-back MAC East Players of the Week the last two weeks in November in Rachel Tecca and Hanna Luburgh. The last time Akron had back-to-back conference Players of the Week was in 2007-08 when Sarah Tokodi received the nod two weeks in a row.
Top of the Crop
Rachel Tecca continues to lead the Mid-American Conference in scoring with 18.5 ppg., and is second in field goal percentage at .540. Her biggest statistic though may be that she does not appear in the MAC's top-10 in minutes played, meaning that she is posting these numbers in less time on the court than the other top players in the conference. She is also No. 4 in the nation in points per 40 minutes at 30.3.
King's Court
Junior Sina King is making her case for the MAC's most consistent player in the early part of the season. She has scored in double figures in 19 out of 20 games, including the last 11 straight, en route to posting nine double-doubles. The forward is fluctuating between averaging a double-double, currently with 14.6 points and 8.5 rebounds, and grabs 22.5 percent of the team's total rebounds.
Cassell Dishes Her Way Into the Books
Akron point guard Kacie Cassell moved up one more spot to No. 4 on Akron's all time list for career assists with 363, surpassing current UA assistant coach Ayla Guzzardo in the record books. Cassell recorded a new career-high 11 assists at Northern Illinois, and is currently fourth in the nation in assists per game at 7.4. She needs just 10 more assists to break the program's single-season record.
Tecca Reaches 1,000... And She Keeps Going
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. Tecca, currently with 1,349 career points, is now Akron's fourth all-time leading scorer.
Tecca On the Boards
Rachel Tecca broke into the program's top-10 all time for career rebounds with 13 caroms at Saint Peter's. She has 147 rebounds on the year and 697 for her career, moving her to No. 7 on the all time list. Tecca 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
The Zips were 3-0 for the first time since their inaugural season in 1974-75. Their 9-4 non-conference record is the best start the team has had in 17 years, when it went 9-1 in 1995-96.
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 49 three's so far this season, bringing her career total to 233. She is currently seventh all time in the MAC record books for career 3-point field goals made.
Zips Sign Four for 2013-14
Jodi Kest recently announced the signing of four standout student-athletes to National Letters of Intent to play for Akron beginning in 2013-14:
• Keanna Gary (Fort Wayne, Ind.) - Gary, a 6-1 forward, has built a strong career at the high school and AAU levels over the past three years. Last year as a junior, Gary averaged 11.7 points and 10.2 rebounds per game, in addition to 2.2 blocks. She received Honorable Mention All-State accolades from Hoosier Basketball Magazine, and was a 2012 IBCA All-State and All-Northeast Indiana First Team selection. Gary has also led her AAU team to the state championship title for the past three consecutive years.
• Hannah Plybon (Orrville, Ohio) - Plybon, a 5-9 guard out of nearby Orrville High School, comes to Akron as an ESPN 86 Grade, three-star recruit, the 107th best guard in the nation. In 2011-12, she averaged 20.2 points, 9.7 rebounds and three assists per game. Plybon has received all-state recognition for the last three years, including being named to the All-Ohio First Team as a sophomore and junior. The two-time Northeast Inland District Player of the Year currently ranks second in school history with 1,380 career points and one season left to play.
• Alex Ricketts (Mercer, Pa.) - Ricketts, a 5-11 shooting guard, has been named Offensive Player of the Year for the past two seasons after posting averages of 13.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.5 steals per game. She is a three-time First Team All-Region honoree and earned the title of 2011 Miss Basketball Player of the Year.
• Hannah Scipio (Westerville, Ohio) - Scipio, a 5-4 point guard from the Columbus area, was named one of the Top-10 players in District 10, in addition to earning Special Mention All-Ohio recognition and a spot on the All-OCC Capital Division First Team. Scipio averaged 14.1 points, 5.7 assists and 4.2 steals per game her junior season.
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. With the Zips' victory over Canisius on Dec. 1, Kest now stands alone as 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.
