The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
22-9
Central Michigan
20-11
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Akron | 38 | 47 | 85 |
| Central Michigan | 38 | 31 | 69 |
Women's Basketball puts away Central Michigan, 85-69; advances to MAC title game
March 14 | Women's Basketball
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Final Stats (PDF)Â Â |Â Video Highlights
CLEVELAND – Five Akron players scored in double figures for the fifth time this season to lead a balanced offensive attack in an 85-69 victory over second-seeded Central Michigan in the Mid-American Conference Tournament semifinal round on Friday afternoon at Quicken Loans Arena.
Akron (22-9) will face fifth-seeded Ball State (18-15) in tomorrow's championship at 1 p.m. ET on Time Warner Cable Sports Channel and ESPN3. It will be the Zips' second-straight and second-ever appearance in the league title game.
Hanna Luburgh posted 17 of her game-high 25 points in the second half and also grabbed nine rebounds to pace the Zips. Kacie Cassell finished with 18 points, while Anita Brown had 16, Carly Young 11 and Rachel Tecca 10 to round out the Zips' double-digit scorers.
Young also had 10 rebounds, marking her second-straight double-double and third consecutive game with double-digit rebounds. Tecca pulled down six boards to set UA's single-season rebounding record at 293. As a team, UA out-rebounded CMU, 49-45.
Central Michigan (20-11) was led by Jessica Green's 15 points and five rebounds.
The Zips had to overcome a sluggish start when Central Michigan opened the game with a 7-0 run to prompt an Akron timeout at 16:45. UA countered with a 8-0 run sparked by a triple from Hannah Plybon to take an 8-7 lead 5:00 into the contest.
Luburgh did not find her first points of the day until a 3-pointer at 13:01 made the score 14-11 in Central Michigan's favor.
CMU built its lead to as many as 10 points (23-13) at the 9:54 mark of the the first half. Akron mustered a 9-2 run, capped by a Brown layup and  a Young 3-pointer, to bring it back to a three-point game at 25-22 with 6:44 to play in the opening period.
With five and a half minutes left in the half, Luburgh buried a three and Tecca came up with a steal on the next possession, kicking the ball up the floor to Brown for a lay-in to knot the score at 27 and force a CMU timeout.
Akron tied the score twice in the last 1:12 of the half, once on another Young 3-pointer and again on a signature Brown floater just before the halftime buzzer. The two teams headed to the locker room tied at 38-all, marking the first time this season UA was tied with its opponent at halftime.
The Zips were able to combat their cold shooting spell to start the game with just one turnover in the first 20 minutes.
UA began to pull away midway through the second half after a Brown jumper tied the score for the seventh time at 49. Another 9-2 Akron run gave the Zips an eight-point cushion at 63-55 when Luburgh hit a 3-pointer with 10:20 on the clock.
A layup from Luburgh with just under nine minutes to play gave Akron its first double-digit lead of the day at 67-57, and from that point on the Zips' lead would never dip below 10 points. UA shot 16-of-21 from the free throw line in the second half, highlighted by a perfect 5-for-5 showing from Cassell to maintain separation from the Chippewas.Â
Akron shot 53.8 percent after halftime and outscored CMU in transition, 22-4, for the game.
General public tickets for tomorrow's championship game are $10 general admission and can be purchased at Quicken Loans Arena beginning at 11 a.m. Tickets for current UA students are free and can be claimed at the Akron table in the lobby of the arcade entrance at The "Q".
