The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
Buffalo
Women's Basketball keeps winning streak alive with 79-71 triumph at Buffalo
March 05 | Women's Basketball
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BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Trailing by four points with just over five minutes to play, Akron proved why it is the best free throw shooting team in the Mid-American Conference, converting from the line and coming from behind down the stretch to defeat Buffalo on the road, 79-71, Wednesday night.
UA (20-8, 14-3 MAC) went 16-for-17 from the charity stripe in the second half to overcome a late surge from UB and hold off the Bulls for its 13th consecutive win.
Rachel Tecca led all scorers with 23 points and 15 rebounds for her third straight double-double. DiAndra Gibson posted a career-high 10 points and added six rebounds, and Kacie Cassell chipped in nine points, all in the second half.
Hanna Luburgh scored 14 of her 20 points in the final 20 minutes, but none were bigger than the 3-pointer from deep in the left corner to give the Zips back the lead at 70-67 with 1:57 remaining.
Four players finished in double figures offensively for Buffalo (16-12, 9-8 MAC), led by Kristen Sharkey's 20 points and 11 rebounds.
Akron started the game off slow, as an 8-0 Buffalo run quickly put the Bulls up 10-4 five minutes into the contest. UA called a timeout and fought back to tie the game at 16-all by the 11:45 mark after Carly Young, Anita Brown and Luburgh combined for six-straight points.
A layup from Tecca with 10:15 on the clock helped Akron outscore Buffalo 13-7 over the next seven minutes, building a five-point advantage for the Zips with the score at 31-26.
UB's Mackenzie Loesing put in a layup with two minutes left in the half to make it a two-point game, but Tecca would answer with a layup of her own off an assist from Hannah Plybon. The freshman guard came up with a steal on the other end to give Akron the last possession of the half, and she would come up big again as time expired. Kacie Cassell found Plybon under the basket for a lay-in to end the half, giving the Zips a 37-31 edge at the break.
Akron came out of the locker room on fire, stringing together a 7-3 run within the first 2:15. Luburgh knocked down a triple from the top of the circle at the 17:44 mark to give Akron its largest lead of 12 at 46-34. Luburgh scored nine straight points to briefly harness the momentum for Akron, but Buffalo continued to chip away.
Loesing was fouled shooting a 3-pointer and made all three of her free throws, giving UB its first lead of the second half, 61-59, with 6:38 left in the game. Cassell and Tecca joined forces and combined for eight points to tie the score for the eighth time, 65-all and just over three minutes to go.
Luburgh's big trey under the two-minute mark put the Zips ahead for good, and UA hit seven of its eight free throw attempts in the final 55 seconds to wrap up the victory.
Akron closes out the regular season with its final home game on Saturday, March 8 against Bowling Green at James A. Rhodes Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m., and UA will honor its five seniors – Cassell, Luburgh, Cari Gutyon, Tecca and Young before the game.
