The University of Akron Athletics
Women's Basketball travels to Buffalo for final regular season game
March 05 | Women's Basketball
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Akron at Buffalo Game Notes in PDF Format
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Akron (20-8, 11-4) at Buffalo (10-18, 8-7)
Thursday, March 6, 2013 • 7 p.m. ET
Buffalo, N.Y.
Alumni Arena (6,100)
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 (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 94-118 (.443) mark. She is 320-271 (.541) 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 trails the all-time series with Buffalo, 15-20, but the Zips have won the last five straight meetings with the Bulls, and the last three contests at Alumni Arena.
A Win Would:
• Give Akron the outright MAC East crown
• Secure the Zips' best MAC record in school history
• Be UA's fourth-straight victory and its ninth in the last 10 games
• Tie a program record for most overall wins on the road
• Set a new program record for most MAC wins on the road
• (Together with a Ball State loss at Toledo) Give Akron the No. 2 seed in the MAC Tournament
Akron Hits the Road for Final Regular Season Test
The Zips travel to Buffalo Wednesday for the final game of the regular season. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. ET at UB's Alumni Arena.
News, Notes and Storylines
• Akron won its sixth-straight game at James A. Rhodes Arena Sunday, taking down Miami (Ohio) 71-65 on SportsTime Ohio to reach its first 20-win season in school history.
• The victory tied the program record for the most wins at home (11).
• Rachel Tecca scored a career-high 32 points to continue her double-figure scoring streak. She has now reached double digits in all 28 of Akron's games this season, including 16 20-plus point peformances and six double-doubles.
• Tecca was named MAC East Player of the Week for the fourth time this season in recognition of her efforts against Miami and Ohio.
• Sina King posted her 12th double-double of the year with 12 points and 13 rebounds.
• Last week 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.
• Kacie Cassell is within striking distance of the program's all-time career assists record. She needs 25 to surpass Abby Hoy (1995-00) who holds the record with 456.
• UA's six-player rotation of Cassell, Luburgh, Taylor Ruper, King, Tecca and Carly Young average more points per game between them (70.0) than 305 Division I teams.
• The Zips have been ranked in the top-20 nationally in scoring offense for the past 10 consecutive weeks. They are currently ninth, averaging 75.9 points per game, making UA the highest scoring mid-major team in the country.
• A win over Buffalo would give Akron the outright MAC East Division regular season title. It has been eight years (2004-05) since a team other than Bowling Green has won the East Division.
• Akron is 18-0 this season when leading at halftime.
Back to the Bulls
Buffalo has won three out of its last five games, picking up victories at Eastern Michigan, at Ohio, and most recently at home versus Kent State on Sunday. The Bulls are averaging 60 points per game as a team, which bodes well for the Zips - UA is 14-0 this season when it holds opponents to 70 points or less.
Mackenzie Loesing and Cherridy Thornton are both averaging around 11 points per game for UB, while Christa Bacas pulls down 8.6 rebounds per contest.
Last Time Against Buffalo
Kacie Cassell dished out 10 assists with only a single turnover in 37 minutes on the court, helping Akron's other four starters to score in double figures in a 75-57 win over Buffalo on Feb. 2 at Rhodes Arena. Sina King led the way with 20 points as UA outscored UB by 15 in the second half, holding the Bulls to 25 percent shooting from the field and just eight field goals.
Miami (Ohio) at Akron Recap
Rachel Tecca scored a career-high 32 points, pulled down seven rebounds and grabbed six steals to lead Akron to a 71-65 victory over Miami (Ohio) on Sunday afternoon at James A. Rhodes Arena.
Tecca's points came on the strength of a 10-for-16 performance from the field and 12-of-14 showing at the free throw line. She was 4-for-4 from the charity stripe in the final 10 seconds to secure the win and help clinch at least a share of the program's first Mid-American Conference East Division title.
Sina King tallied her 12th double-double of the season with 12 points and 13 rebounds, while Kacie Cassell had 10 assists.
Courtney Osborn led Miami with 23 points, but fouled out with 3:23 to play. Kirsten Olowinski scored 17 points and had 16 rebounds for the RedHawks.
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 8-1 against East opponents and stand alone at the top spot of the division. If Akron wins its last regular season game at Buffalo, the Zips will stand alone as the MAC East Division champions.
Protecting the JAR
The Zips closed out the regular season by winning their last six-straight home games at James A. Rhodes Arena to tie the program's highest win total at home with 11. Here are some highlights from the six-game stretch:
• Rachel Tecca shot a blistering 62.9 percent from the field and averaged 22 points per game
• As a team the Zips averaged seven 3-pointers per contest
• Akron recorded assists on 75 percent of its field goals
• Kacie Cassell averaged 8.3 assists per game
• UA made more free throws (96-for-114) than its opponents attempted (65)
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 216 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 27 games and bringing Carly Young in as the first off the bench. Those six players have combined to outscore UA's opponents by 98 points on their own, accounting for 92 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 44 points in the last 10 minutes of games this season. The Zips shoot 47.8 percent from the field in the last 10 minutes (against opponents' 40.1), and record assists on 57 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 25-1, 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 27 contests, Tecca has scored 20 or more points on 15 of those occasions. Akron is 13-2 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 26 of its 27 games this year - six players finished in double figures once, five players have reached double digits twice, and four players have hit the mark 10 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 17.9 dimes a contest, five more than the national average. UA's 1.15 assist/turnover ration is No. 15 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 88 consecutive games for the Zips.
Getting Buckets
The Zips have ranked in the nation's top-20 in scoring offense for the last 11 weeks (as high as sixth), averaging 76.0 ppg, 14 points higher than the national average (62.2). Akron ranks No. 9 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 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-85 in field goal percentage.
Akron RPI
With just one regular season game left to play Akron's RPI currently stands at 120. 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 45, followed by Central Michigan (74) and Bowling Green (100).
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 19.5 ppg., and is third in field goal percentage at .552. 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. 3 in the nation in points per 40 minutes at 7.
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 26 out of 28 games, including a streak of 12 in a row, en route to posting a team-leading 12 double-doubles. The forward is currently averages 14.9 points and 8.7 rebounds, and grabs 24 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 432, 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 7.7.
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 1,525 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 208 rebounds on the year and 766 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 72 three's so far this season, bringing her career total to 256. She is currently eighth all time in the MAC record books for career 3-point field goals made.
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.
