The University of Akron Athletics
Women's Basketball set for televised rematch at Ball State on Saturday
February 14 | Women's Basketball
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Akron at Ball State Game Notes in PDF Format
Video: Zips Basketball with Coach Kest
Game Day Coverage:
Listen to Free Audio Stream (iHeartRadio)
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Watch Live on ESPN3
Akron (14-8, 8-3) at Ball State (10-12, 5-6)
Saturday, Feb. 15, 2014 • 12:00 p.m. ET
Muncie, Ind.
Worthen Arena (11,500)
Television: Time Warner Cable SportsChannel. Mike Cairns (play-by-play) and Jacki Windon (color). Also streaming live on ESPN3 and ESPN Full Court.
Webcast/Live Statistics: Links available at GoZips.com -— webcast and live statistics free of charge.
Radio: SportsRadio 1350 AM (WARF) in Akron (flagship), for free at SportsRadio1350.com and on iHeartRadio. Bill Morgan will have the call beginning at approximately 11:45 p.m
Akron Coach Jodi Kest (Slippery Rock, 1984): Kest is in her eighth season at Akron, posting a 111-128 (.464) mark. She is 337-281 (.545) in 21+ seasons as a collegiate head coach. Kest guided Akron to its best season in program history in 2012-13, including the Zips' first trip to the MAC championship game and their second ever appearance in the WNIT.
The Series: Akron trails the all-time series with Ball State, 14-17, but has won the last six-straight meetings. The Zips defeated the Cardinals earlier this year on Jan. 4, 87-78, in their MAC opener at Rhodes Arena.
A Win Would:
• Tie Akron's longest winning streak in program history at eight games
• Give Akron a perfect 4-0 road record against MAC West opponents this season
• Improve UA's record against Ball State to 7-0 since 2009
Akron Continues MAC West Stretch
The Zips head to Ball State after a week off from competition to take on the Cardinals in a televised contest on Saturday at noon.
News, Notes and Storylines
• Akron extended its winning streak to seven games, its longest of the season, with a 79-66 victory at home over Western Michigan last Saturday.
• The Zips capitalized on a 21-point halftime lead and a strong rebounding effort. UA out-rebounded WMU 39-33 for the game, including a 26-13 advantage on the glass in the first half.
• Rachel Tecca tied a game-high 23 points to go with eight rebounds. Hanna Luburgh added 17 points and six boards, and Hannah Plybon finished with 13 points, tying a career-best seven rebounds.
• Tecca was named MAC East Player of the Week for the fourth time this season and the 10th time in her career for her efforts in wins over NIU and WMU.
• The senior forward is just the second player in MAC history to record 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in a career (Caroline Mast, Ohio, 1983-86). She now has 2,112 points and 1,014 rebounds, and is 86 points away from breaking UA's single-season scoring record that she set last season (609 points).
• UA has seen an increased offensive production from its bench of late. Led by Carly Young and Anita Brown, the Zips' bench players have averaged a combined 20.4 points per game over the course of its current seven-game winning streak.
• As a team, the Zips rank in the top-25 nationally in five categories (out of 343 Division I teams):
o Scoring Offense: 13th (82.6 ppg)
o Field-Goal Percentage: 25th (45.0%)
o Free-Throw Percentage: 20th (75.8%)
o Assists Per Game: 8th (18.7 apg)
o Assist to Turnover Ratio: 17th (1.25)
• UA has not given up late second half leads this season. The Zips are 14-0 this year when they lead with five minutes or less remaining.
• Akron scored 100+ points in a game just twice in the last 10 years, but the Zips have already eclipsed the century mark three times this season, twice in the last five games.
• A victory over Ball State would tie UA's longest winning streak in program history. The streak record sits at eight games, a mark the Zips have reached twice - once during the 1980-81 season, and again in 1995-96.
A Look at Ball State
Ball State has gone 5-5 since its last meeting with the Zips earlier this season on Jan. 4 at the JAR, with wins over Eastern Michigan, Kent State, Ohio, Western Michigan and Northern Illinois. BSU is 3-5 overall on its home floor this year and 2-3 against MAC opponents at Worthen Arena.
Nathalie Fontaine continues to lead the way for the Cardinals, averaging 17.0 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. Brittany Carter follows with 11.6 points.
As a team, Ball State is third in the MAC in 3-point field goal percentage, shooting 34.5 percent from behind the arc and averaging 6.6 triples per contest.
Last Time Against Ball State
Akron used a balanced scoring attack and shot over 50 percent from the field to put away visiting Ball State, 87-78, in its Mid-American Conference opener on Jan. 4.
Five different Zips scored in double figures, led by Rachel Tecca with 20 points. The senior also pulled down 11 rebounds, marking the 30th double-double of her career.
Hanna Luburgh followed with 18 points and Kacie Cassell added 13. Carly Young chimed in with 10 points, seven rebounds and game-high six assists.
Anita Brown provided a welcomed spark off the bench, posting a personal-best 14 points and three assists without a turnover in 20 minutes of work.
Ball State was paced by Brittany Carter with 19 points and five assists.
Western Michigan at Akron Recap
Akron capitalized on a 21-point halftime lead and a strong rebounding effort to capture its seventh-straight win, cruising past Western Michigan 79-66 a week ago at James A. Rhodes Arena.
Rachel Tecca led three Zips in double figures, tying a game-high 23 points to go with eight rebounds. Hanna Luburgh added 17 points and six boards, and Hannah Plybon chipped in 13 points, tying a career-best seven rebounds.
UA out-rebounded Western Michigan 39-33 for the game, including a 26-13 advantage on the glass in the first half. Anita Brown was a key rebounder off the bench for Akron, reeling in five caroms, three of which where offensive.
Kacie Cassell led both teams with eight assists and just two turnovers in 34 minutes on the floor.
The Scoop on The Streak
The Zips are riding a seven-game winning streak, the longest against MAC opponents since Akron joined the league in 1992, and it is one game away from tying the longest in program history (eight wins). Here are some notes on "The Streak":
• Akron has out-scored opponents by an average of 16.9 points per game
• Three Zips put up double figures - Tecca (24.4 ppg) Luburgh (22.4 ppg) and Plybon (10.6 ppg). Tecca reels in a double-double with 12.1 rebounds.
• UA limits itself to 13.0 turnovers per contest
• Zips led at halftime in six out of the seven games (Northern Illinois)
Tecca Earns Academic All-District
Rachel Tecca has been named to the Capital One Academic All-District V First Team, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). This is the third Academic All-District distinction that Tecca has received in her career, making her eligible to earn Academic All-America She was named to the Academic All-America second team as a redshirt junior in 2013, the first UA player ever to earn the award. The Tallmadge, Ohio, native carries a graduate GPA of 3.89 as she works to complete her master's degree in business administration. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in marketing management in December of 2012.
Tecca's Career Day
Tecca's 43-point and 22-rebound outburst against Eastern Michigan on Jan. 26 broke all kinds of school and facility records. The individual output is the greatest scoring and rebounding combination by a Division I player this season, earning her NCAA Women's Basketball Player of the Week honors - the first recognition of its kind for an Akron player. Tecca's 43 points and 22 boards also broke EMU's Convocation Center records for single-game scoring and rebounding totals.
Getting to the Line
Senior Rachel Tecca earns more trips to the free throw line than any other player in the Mid-American Conference. She ranks ninth in the league in free throw percentage (149-for-185), but she has connected on more free throws than any other conference player has even attempted.
Dynamic Duo
Rachel Tecca and Hanna Luburgh are not only the top two scorers in the Mid-American Conference, but they make up the top scoring duo in the country. The two combine to score an average of 46.7 points per game, and each ranks in the top-10 in scoring nationally.
Cassell Named to Nancy Lieberman Award Watch List
Kacie Cassell has been named to the Nancy Lieberman Award Watch List, as announced by the Basketball Hall of Fame. The award recognizes the top point guard in women's NCAA Division I college basketball. Candidates exhibit the floor leadership, play-making and ball-handling skills of Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman. The Lieberman Award winner will be announced during Final Four weekend activities.
Super Senior Class
The 2013-14 senior class marks the first full recruiting class for recruiting coordinator/Associate Head Coach Melissa Jackson at Akron, and it is a class that has torn down nearly every record that has stood in their way for the past three seasons. With 65 wins over the last three and a half seasons, the group has become the winningest class in school history.
