The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
23-10
Purdue
22-8
Women's Basketball falls to Purdue in NCAA Tournament, 84-55
March 22 | Women's Basketball
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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- The thirteenth-seeded University of Akron women's basketball team ended its postseason run Saturday afternoon with an 84-55 loss to fourth-seeded Purdue in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Mackey Arena.
UA finishes the year with a 23-10 overall mark, tying the school record for most victories in a season, capped by its first NCAA Tournament appearance in the 40-year history of the program.
Rachel Tecca led the Zips with 18 points, and Kacie Cassell added seven points and a game-high 11 assists. Hanna Luburgh grabbed a team-high eight rebounds, but Akron's sharpshooter was limited to nine points.
Akron was unable to keep pace with Purdue on the glass, as the Boilermakers won the rebounding battle, 50-28. The difference limited UA's traditional fast-paced transition game and allowed Purdue to put up 19 second-chance points.
Whitney Bays led Purdue (22-8) with 20 points and 13 rebounds in 24 minutes.
The Zips struggled to find their rhythm in the early going, falling behind 20-2 in the first four and a half minutes. Courtney Moses buried two quick 3-pointers for Purdue, and the Boilermakers' tight defense and dominating presence inside hindered Akron's ability to run the floor, forcing the Zips into a half-court set for much of the half.
Luburgh picked up her first points of the day on a 3-pointer at the 10:52 mark of the first half, and a long two from Tecca on the Zips' next possession cut the deficit to 10 points at 30-20 and forced a Purdue timeout.
The Zips continued to hang with the Boilermakers, despite Purdue's hot hand from the field. The Boilermakers had nine different players score in the opening period, including five 3-pointers.
With under five minutes to play in the half, Luburgh pulled down a monster rebound and kicked it up the floor to Cassell who found Anita Brown in transition, putting the score at 42-30 in Purdue's favor just before the last media timeout.
The Zips did enough to keep Purdue in their sights, trailing by 12 at halftime, 46-34. Akron harnessed some momentum over the last three minutes, when Carly Young stepped in to take her second charge of the day. Tecca's turnaround jumper with 2:30 on the clock cut Purdue's advantage to 10 for the second time.
Purdue started the second half with two quick buckets in the first minute before Akron called a timeout. The Zips could not match Purdue's pace in the second 20 minutes, falling behind by 19 points by the 16:07 mark.
Akron was held to just six field goals in the second half without a 3-pointer. Purdue's offense never quite cooled off, as it shot 65.4 percent from the field after halftime.
UA's 2014 senior class leaves Akron as the winningest class in program history, tallying 74 victories over the last four seasons, and is the first team to win a Mid-American Conference title.
