The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
Toledo
Akron rallies past Toledo, 102-101
January 14 | Women's Basketball
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TOLEDO, Ohio – Sparked by senior Sina King (Waterford, Ohio), junior Anita Brown (Warren, Ohio) and sophomore Hannah Plybon (Orrville, Ohio) registering career highs for points, the Akron women's basketball team earned a come-from-behind 102-101 victory past Toledo (9-6, 2-2 MAC) on Wednesday at Savage Arena.
The Zips (13-2, 3-1 MAC) were forced to withstand a game-winning shot attempt by the Rockets' Sophia Reecher as time expired to notch their third-consecutive league win.
Akron erased a 53-50 halftime deficit as King, Brown and Plybon scored all but one of the Zips' 52 second-half points.
Akron finished the game shooting 54.5 percent from the field, while the Rockets were nearly as efficient connecting on 50 percent of their attempts.
Brown netted a career- and Akron season-best 36 points, while King and Plybon added 29 and 26 points, respectively.
Brown hit on 11-of-15 attempts from the floor for the Zips, while Plybon nailed five three-pointers. Brown also corralled a team-high nine rebounds. King and junior DiAndra Gibson (Ravenna, Ohio) each added six rebounds for Akron, while junior Megan Barilla (Fairview Park, Ohio) distributed a career-high 10 assists against only one turnover.
All five starters for Toledo concluded the game scoring in double figures, led by a 28-point effort from Inma Zanoguera.
The Zips took care of the ball in the game committing a season-low six turnovers.
The Rockets stormed out of the gates to begin the contest connecting on back-to-back three-pointers to assume a 6-2 lead.
A jumper by King cut the deficit to 6-4 before Toledo scored seven of the next nine points to assume a 13-6 lead at the first media timeout (15:47).
The Rockets continued to connect on three-pointers extending their margin to 28-14 at the 11:50 mark.
The Zips slowly began to cut away at the deficit scoring six of the next nine points capped by a basket by Brown at the 9:39 mark to trim the margin to 31-20.
After the Rockets pushed the lead back to 14, 38-24, the Zips went on a 10-2 run to pull to within six, 40-34, on a jumper by Brown at the 5:01 mark.
Toledo scored six unanswered tallies to stretch the margin to 46-34, before a 12-2 run fueled by six points from Brown and five from Plybon brought the Zips to within two, 48-46, with 1:17 left in the first half.
The two teams exchanged baskets the remainder of the half with a pair of free throws by Brown sending the Zips into the intermission trailing 53-50. Brown finished the half scoring the final 10 points for Akron.
Brown poured in a team-high 19 points in the initial stanza, while King and Plybon added 11 and 10 points, respectively. Brenae Harris led three Rockets in double figures in the first half with 19 points.
Toledo shot 60 percent in the initial stanza, including 62.5 percent (10-of-16) from beyond the arc, while the Zips connected on 52.5 percent of their shots.
The Rockets began the final 20 minutes on a 6-0 run to extend their lead to 10, 60-50, before free throws by Brown and a basket from King brought Akron to within six, 60-54.
A 9-2 run by Toledo extended the Zips' deficit to 69-56 at the 13:45 mark.
Akron answered with a 15-2 run of their own as with five points from King and 10 from Brown including back-to-back three-pointers to even the affair at 71, with 10:36 left in the game.
The Zips took their first lead of the game with 9:16 remaining on a three-pointer from Plybon and didn't surrender the advantage for the remainder of the affair.
Akron returns to action with a 2 p.m. matinee affair on Saturday, Jan. 17, at Miami.
