The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
Bowling Green
Zips garner 67-59 triumph over Bowling Green
January 07 | Women's Basketball
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AKRON, Ohio – After battling through seven ties and eight lead changes, a 23-6 second-half run lifted the Akron women's basketball team to a 67-59 victory over Bowling Green in the Zips' first conference home game Wednesday night at James A. Rhodes Arena.
The victory marked only the fourth-ever triumph for Akron over the Falcons.
Senior Sina King (Waterford, Ohio) contributed 11 points to the pivotal run as she ended the night with a game-high 20 total points. She fell one rebound shy of her ninth double-double as she picked up nine boards, with six coming on the defensive end.
Junior Anita Brown (Warren, Ohio) followed King with a 17-point, eight-rebound performance to go with three assists and pair of blocks. Brown also issued a 5-of-6 performance from the charity stripe.
Rachel Myers led Bowling Green (7-6, 0-2 MAC) with 17 points, while Deborah Hoekstra recorded a 12-point and 12-rebound effort.
Junior DiAndra Gibson (Ravenna, Ohio) was dominating on the glass for the Zips on the evening pulling down a game- and career-best 16 rebounds, including matching King for the most defensive rebounds recorded in game for Akron this season with 10.
Gibson, sophomore Hannah Plybon (Orrville, Ohio) and junior Megan Barilla (Fairview Park, Ohio) each distributed a game-high four assists for the Zips.
Akron (11-2, 1-1 MAC) shot 41.0 percent (25-of-61) from the field but struggled to connect from the outside, shooting just 23.1 percent (3-of-13) from three-point range, including 0-of-7 in the first half.
Nine of Bowling Green's 19 field goals came from beyond the arc, allowing Akron to outscore BGSU in the paint, 36-18. The Falcons issued a 19-of-57 performance from the field for 33.3 percent and went 9-for-21 (42.9 percent) from beyond the arc.
Akron won the rebounding battle 43-33, including 14-9 on the offensive glass, and had strong ball control, posting just seven turnovers, the second-lowest mark in a game this season. Five of the turnovers came off BGSU steals, while Akron forced 10 Bowling Green giveaways.
The Falcons opened the game missing their first eight shots from the field, allowing Akron to get out to an early 6-0 lead before the teams traded momentum throughout the end of the half.
Bowling Green held Akron to one field goal over five minutes and netted a triple to knot the game at 14-all with 8:24 left in the first. After connecting on three-straight from beyond the arc, the Falcons rode a 10-3 run for a 24-18 lead at the 4:20 mark.
Akron closed the half scoring eight uninterrupted points with a Gibson lay-up putting the Zips ahead 26-24 at the intermission.
Plybon hit the Zips' first triple in eight attempts at the 16:29 mark of the second half for a 31-28 advantage. BGSU matched the long ball to momentarily tie the game before a King layup initiated the eighth and final lead change to place Akron ahead, 39-38, with 9:39 on the clock.
The King layup came amidst the 23-6 run spanning eight minutes that gave Akron a game-high 12-point lead (56-44) with 4:48 to play, which allowed the Zips to hold off the Falcons through the end of the game. BGSU got to within six of the Zips with 23 seconds left.
The Zips return to action on Saturday, Jan. 10 when they play host to Eastern Michigan at James A. Rhodes Arena. Tip off is set for 2 p.m.
