The University of Akron Athletics
Women's Basketball aims to sweep rival Kent State Saturday on SportsTime Ohio
February 22 | Women's Basketball
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Akron at Kent State Game Notes in PDF Format
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Akron (17-8, 8-4) at Kent State (3-22, 1-11)
Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013 • 12 noon ET
Kent, Ohio
MAC Center (6,327)
Television: SportsTime Ohio. Mike Cairns (play-by-play) and Jacki Windon (color). Stream also available via ESPN3.
Live Statistics: Available at GoZips.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) (11:45 a.m. ET airtime).
Akron Coach Jodi Kest (Slippery Rock, 1984): Kest is in her seventh season at Akron, posting a 91-118 (.435) mark. She is 317-271 (.539) 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.
Series Notes: Akron's 93-58 win over Kent State on Jan. 13 was its largest margin of victory over a Mid-American Conference opponent since joining the league in 1992-93. The Zips are on a mission to sweep the Flashes for the first time in school history.
A Win Would:
• Tie the school record for most wins in a season (18)
• Be UA's first road win at Kent State since 76-72 triumph on Jan. 26, 1988
• Mark the first time Akron has swept Kent State in the regular season
• Keep Akron in the hunt for a top-four seed in the MAC Tournament
Bell Tolls for PNC Wagon Wheel Challenge Part Two
The Zips stay on the road close to home Saturday, traveling to rival Kent State for a noon tipoff on SportsTime Ohio and ESPN3.
News, Notes and Storylines
• Akron's five-game winning streak came to a halt on the road at Bowling Green Wednesday night, as the Zips dropped a 74-61 decision to the Falcons to fall into a tie for first place in the MAC East.
• Sina King posted her 10th double-double of the season with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
• Rachel Tecca continued her double-figure scoring streak, and has now reached double digits in all 25 of Akron's games this season, including 13 20-plus point peformances.
• The game marked the first time this season that Akron did not field at least three players in double figure scoring.
• On Thursday, Tecca was named to the Capital One Academic All-America® Second Team, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). She is the first Akron women's basketball player to ever earn Academic All-American status.
• Tecca also earned MAC East Player of the Week for the second straight week for her efforts last week against Ball State, scoring a game-high 22 points, including a 10-for-11 showing from the free throw line.
• Kacie Cassell began the week ranked first in the nation in assists per game, and is averaging 8.8 assists over the course of the last five games.
• Cassell moved up to No. 2 in school history for career assists, now with 407. Abby Hoy (1995-00) holds the record at 456.
• UA's six-player rotation of Cassell, Luburgh, Ruper, King, Tecca and Young average more points per game between them (68.6) than 285 Division I teams.
• Akron fields a league-leading four players that average double figure scoring in MAC play - Tecca (18.2), Luburgh (14.7), King (14.6) and Ruper (11.0). Cassell is averaging 7.7 assists in conference games.
• The Zips have been ranked in the top-20 nationally in scoring offense for the past 10 consecutive weeks. They are currently 11th, averaging 76.2 points per game, making UA the highest scoring mid-major team in the country.
• Saturday's contest at Kent State will be Akron's first televised game this season, airing on SportsTime Ohio and ESPN3. STO also picked up UA's home game vs. Miami (Ohio) on Sunday, March 3 at 2 p.m. ET.
Back to the Flashes
Kent State's lone win since the two teams' last meeting came on the road at Ohio on Feb. 3 when the Flashes squeaked by the Bobcats, 57-55. Tamzin Barroilhet, KSU's leading scorer, is averging 10.3 points per game and has scored in double figures in four out of the last five games, shooting 42.7 percent from the field overall. As a team, Kent State is averaging 50.8 points per game, while allowing opponents a scoring average of 67.9.
Last Time Against Kent State
The Zips used a 54-point first half and shot 52.9 percent from the field on the day to breeze past Kent State earlier this year on Jan. 13 at Rhodes Arena. The win gave Akron a half-point in the PNC Wagon Wheel Challenge standings. Sina King was one rebound short of a double-double by halftime, leading four Zips in double figures with 16 points and 10 rebounds. UA would field 11 different players in the scoring column, only posting four turnovers.
Akron at Bowling Green Recap
Sina King posted her 10th double-double of the season with 15 points and 10 rebounds, but it was not enough to put Akron in a position to hold onto a lead as the Zips fell to Bowling Green on the road, 74-61.
Rachel Tecca kept her double figure scoring streak alive at 25 games, posting 13 points and grabbing seven boards, while Hanna Luburgh and Taylor Ruper each added nine points apiece.
Akron out-rebounded the Falcons 42-41 for the game, including a stifling 25-16 advantage in the first period, but the Zips were suffocated on the boards for much of the second half as Bowling Green fought for 15 second chance points in all.
Chrissy Steffen led BGSU with 17 points and Alexis Rogers was not far behind with 16, 14 of which came in the second half.
Tecca Named Academic All-American
Rachel Tecca was named to the Capital One Academic All-America® Second Team, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Tecca is the first student-athlete in Akron women's basketball history to earn Academic All-American status. She is also the only player in the Mid-American Conference to earn the distinction this year. Previously in 2011, Tecca was part of the Capital One Academic All-District IV Third Team. Tecca carried a 3.89 GPA through her undergraduate career, and graduated with a bachelor's degree in marketing management prior to the Zips' game against Cincinnati on Dec. 15, 2012. She began working toward her MBA in January of this year.
Beast of the East
The Zips have been at the top of the MAC East Division standings for the better part of February for the first time in the history of the program. They are now 5-1 against East opponents and are tied with Bowling Green for the top spot. Should both teams win out the rest of the regular season, UA would win the tie-break to win the division and the higher tournament seed, due to BGSU's two East losses (Miami and Akron).
Tecca Is MAC East Player of the Week, Again
Rachel Tecca earned MAC East Player of the Week for the second consecutive week after leading Akron to a win over Ball State. It is the third time this season and the fifth time in her career she has received the honor. Over the course of Akron's current five game winning streak, Tecca is averaging 21 points per game, shooting 61.0 percent from the field and 82.5 percent from the free throw line.
A is for Assist, C is for Cassell
With her 10 assists against Buffalo, Kacie Cassell now holds the school record for the most assists in a single season, accomplishing the feat in just 21 games. She currently has 191 dimes on the year, surpassing Abby Hoy who had 156 assists in 29 games during the 1998-99 season.
Stellar Six
Akron has relied on a six-player rotation for the majority of the season, starting the same five in all 24 games and bringing Carly Young in as the first off the bench. Those six players have combined to outscore UA's opponents by 76 points on their own, accounting for 91 percent of the Zips' offensive production.
Endurance Test
UA has not let its limited rotation affect its performance down the stretch. Three of the five starters hover around 30 minutes per contest, yet Akron has outscored its opponents by 50 points in the last 10 minutes of games this season. The Zips shoot 47.4 percent from the field in the last 10 minutes (against opponents' 39.2), and record assists on 56 percent of their field goals during that time.
Taking What They're Giving
Over the course of its season-long five-game winning streak, Akron made the most of its trips to the free throw line, shooting 85.4 percent (70-of-82) as a team. Conversely, the Zips allowed opponents 53 trips to the line during that time. Breaking it down further, in the last five minutes of those five games Akron was 37-of-43 from the charity stripe.
Young Money
Carly Young's career-high 23 points against Eastern Michigan was the best shooting performance from the field by a Zip this season. The junior knocked down 9-of-10 attempts, including a flawless 5-for-5 showing from behind the 3-point line.
Streak Stopped
Akron's win over Bowling Green on Jan. 31 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 23-1, and their only loss is to BGSU.
When Tecca Hits 20
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 25 contests, Tecca has scored 20 or more points on 13 of those occasions. Akron is 11-2 when she surpasses the 20-point plateau.
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 24 of its 25 games this year - five players have reached double digits twice, and four players have hit the mark nine 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.
How Can I Assist You?
The Zips have had no problem sharing the wealth this year, coming up fifth in the national rankings for assists per game as a team. Akron averages 17.6 dimes a contest, five more than the national average. UA's 1.14 assist/turnover ration is No. 16 out of 345 Division I teams.
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 86 consecutive games for the Zips.
Getting Buckets
The Zips have ranked in the nation's top-20 in scoring offense for the last 10 weeks (as high as sixth), averaging 75.7 ppg, 13 points higher than the national average (62.2). Akron ranks No. 11 in the country this week, putting the Zips back on top as the highest scoring mid-major team in the nation. Just over 29 percent of their 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 65 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-78 in field goal percentage.
Akron RPI
In the midst of a five game winning streak, Akron's RPI continues to climb and is now at 126. The Zips have the second-best RPI in the MAC East and the fourth-best in the conference overall. Toledo has the lowest RPI in the league at 46, followed by Central Michigan (60) and Bowling Green (97).
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.
Top of the Crop
Rachel Tecca continues to lead the Mid-American Conference in scoring with 18.8 ppg., and is second in field goal percentage at .543. Her biggest statitic 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. 2 in the nation in points per 40 minutes at 29.9.
King's Court
Junior Sina King continues to make her case for the most consistent player in the MAC. She has scored in double figures in 23 out of 25 games, including a streak of 12 in a row, en route to posting a team-leading 10 double-doubles. The forward is currently averages 14.6 points and 8.4 rebounds, and grabs 23.2 percent of the team's total rebounds.
Cassell Dishes Her Way Into the Books
Akron point guard Kacie Cassell is now second on Akron's all time list for career assists with 407, 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 the national leader in assists per game at 7.8.
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 1,449 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 191 rebounds on the year and 749 for her career, moving her to No. 5 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 66 three's so far this season, bringing her career total to 250. She is currently ninth all time in the MAC record books for career 3-point field goals made.
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.
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.
