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PNC Wagon Wheel Challenge awaits Akron as Zips travel to face Kent State
February 24 | Women's Basketball
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Akron visits Kent State
The Zips commence a stretch that will see them play three of their final four regular season games away from home this Wednesday, Feb. 25, as Akron visits Kent State. The second installment of the PNC Wagon Wheel Challenge is set to begin at 7 p.m. with Time Warner Cable and ESPN3 televising the contest.
PNC Wagon Wheel Challenge
Akron's tilt at Kent State on Feb. 25 is the final women's basketball meeting in the PNC Wagon Wheel Challenge this season. The Zips picked up a half point in the series with their 74-67 home victory on Jan. 31, and now trail the Golden Flashes, 4.0-2.0.
Each of the fifteen (15) sports will be worth one (1) point. For a school to be the winner of The PNC Wagon Wheel Challenge, it must accumulate at least eight (8) points.
According to legend, the "Wagon Wheel" trophy traces its beginnings to the spring of 1870 when Akron industrialist John R. Buchtel set out for the town of Kent in search of a site to establish a college. In the muddy Ohio fields, however, his wagon became bogged down in the area where Kent State University is currently located. When horses pulled the wagon, a wheel came loose and became buried until it was discovered in 1902 during the construction of a pipeline along the Western Reserve Trail.
The wheel eventually fell into the possession of Dr. Raymond Manchester, who as the Kent State Dean of Men in 1945, suggested the local historic artifact be offered as the trophy to the winner of the annual Akron-Kent State football game. Through the 2011 game, Kent State leads the series 21–19–1 in Wagon Wheel games.
News, Notes and Story lines
• The Zips are seeking their 10th conference win of the season, and 20th victory overall, when they visit Kent State on Wednesday, Feb. 25.
• Akron will attempt to garner a season sweep of the Golden Flashes after the Zips earned a 74-67 decision past Kent State in the first meeting of the year on Jan. 31 at Rhodes Arena.
• The Zips have won 14 of their last 18 regular-season games away from home.
• Akron's 12 home wins equals a school record set last season when the Zips posted a 12-2 mark at Rhodes Arena.
• Senior Sina King (Waterford, Ohio) has been dominant for Akron over the last 10 games averaging 19.5 points and 9.1 rebounds per contest. During that span, she is connecting on nearly 46 percent (.458) of her shots from the field, 37.8 percent from distance and 39-for-46 (.848) at the charity stripe. She has scored 15 or more points on nine occasions.
• Senior Sina King owns a team-leading 12 double-doubles this season.
• The Zips have won 10 or more home games in four of the last six seasons under head coach Jodi Kest.
• Akron enters its tilt versus Kent State having won 35 of its last 43 games dating back to last season.
• Akron is on pace to register its third-consecutive 20-win season this year as the Zips will hit the court versus Kent State with 19 victories. Akron currently owns the third-longest active streak among league teams of winning 20 or more games having done so in each of the previous two campaigns. The only other schools with longer active runs are Bowling Green (Six seasons: 2009-10, 2010-11, 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2013-14) and Central Michigan (Five seasons: 2010-11, 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2013-14). Both those streaks are in jeopardy of being snapped this year as the Falcons and Chippewas stand at 9-15 and 11-13 overall, respectively, with six and seven regular season contests remaining.
• Over the past three campaigns, the Zips have dominated the month of February winning 16 of their 19 games contested in the month.
• Sophomore Hannah Plybon (Orrville, Ohio) has found her shooting groove over the last five games as she has connected on five, four, four, four and two three-pointers, respectively, while averaging 16.2 points per game.
• With her three-pointer at the 10:19 mark of the second half versus Kent State, Plybon moved into the top-10 in the single-season record book for triples with 56. She will enter the Kent State game with the fourth-best single-season in school history having made 75 three-pointers.
• With their win over Kent State, the Zips clinched their third-consecutive winning season. It marks the first time in program history that Akron has garnered a winning mark over three-straight seasons.
• Akron's 10-game winning streak to begin the season represented the second-longest such streak in program history. A year ago, the Zips won 13-consecutive contests from Jan. 18 through March 5.
• Akron established a new school record for victories to open a season (8) with its 81-63 win past Bethune-Cookman. The victory helped the Zips surpass the previous mark of 7-0 set during the 1974-75 campaign.
• Kent State is pacing the conference in rebounding defense (33.6), while ranking third in the conference in field-goal percentage (.413) and fourth in rebounding margin (+2.0) and blocked shots (3.4).
• In league-only contests, the Golden Flashes are leading the conference in rebounding defense (33.1), while ranking third in field-goal percentage (.423) and fifth in assists (13.3).
• Junior Megan Barilla (Fairview Park, Ohio) checks in at No. 5 nationally in assist/turnover ratio (3.03) on the strength of dishing out 3.6 per night.
• Anita Brown (Warren, Ohio) surpassed the 700-point plateau for her Akron career with an eight-point effort at Northern Illinois. She will enter the Zips' contest with Kent State having recorded 744 career points.
• Over her five-year Akron career, Sina King has registered 1,502 points and 823 rebounds to become only the fourth player in program history to notch at least 1,500 points and 800 rebounds as a Zip. She joins Rachel Tecca (2009-14), Cheryl Bowles (1997-2001) and Pam Arnold (1984-88) in that exclusive club.
• Sina King surpassed 1,500 points during her Akron career with a 16-point effort versus Ohio on Feb. 21. She will enter play versus Kent State with 1,502 career points.
• Sina King needs 42 points to surpass Pam Arnold for fifth place all-time at Akron in career scoring.
• Sina King is also rated third, fourth, sixth, sixth and sixth, respectively, in the career record book in free throws made (357), free throws attempted (449), rebounds (823), field-goal percentage (.471) and field goals made (534).
• Akron is ranked in the top-50 in eight NCAA statistical categories, including 27th in scoring offense (75.7).
• Akron is rated No. 18 in the latest CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top-25 WBB poll released on Feb. 24.
• Akron is ranked 76th in the latest NCAA RPI rankings.
• The Zips enter their game versus Kent State leading the Mid-American Conference in scoring offense (75.7), field-goal percentage (.450), rebounding margin (+4.6), assists (16.4), and defensive rebounds (28.7), while ranking second in three-point percentage (.346), scoring margin (+10.6) and assist/turnover ratio (1.1).
A Look at Kent State
Kent State enters Wednesday's game versus the Zips having won two of their last three games following a 62-58 triumph at Buffalo last Saturday, Feb. 21. Sophomore Larissa Lurken and redshirt senior CiCi Shannon are pacing the Golden Flashes offensively posting 10.8 and 9.6 points per contest. Shannon is Kent State's leading rebounder (8.6), while pulling down 5.8 caroms a night is senior Montia Johnson. Distributing a team-high 3.0 assists per game is freshman Naddiyah Cross. The Golden Flashes are scoring 55.3 points a game, while surrendering 66.0 points a night to their opponents. Kent State is connecting on 41.3 percent of its shots from the field.
In Our Last Meeting
Akron 74, Kent State 67
Jan. 31, 2015 • Akron, Ohio
After seven ties and 14 lead changes Akron used a late 11-2 run starting at the 7:20 mark of the second half to defeat Kent State, 74-67, in the first installment of the PNC Wagon Wheel Challenge this season.
The Zips had three players score in double figures, led by junior Anita Brown, who paced all players with a game-high 24 points. She tied senior Sina King with four assists.
King followed Brown, coming in just one rebound shy of her 11th double-double of the year with a 20-point and nine-rebound effort. She issued a perfect 6-of-6 performance from the charity stripe.
Junior DiAndra Gibson (Ravenna, Ohio) rounded out the Zips double-figure scoring with 10 points to go with four rebounds and a pair of assists.
Despite a 15-6 advantage on the offensive glass, the Zips narrowly out-rebounded the Golden Flashes, 34-31. Akron forced 17 turnovers, which it converted into 18 points.
Akron finished the contest shooting 39.4 percent from the field, while the Golden Flashes connected on 49 percent of their attempts.
Akron vs. Ohio Recap
In a showdown between the top two teams in the Mid-American Conference's Eastern Division, it was Ohio who came into James A. Rhodes Arena and limited Akron to its lowest-point output of the season en route to a 71-55 triumph past the Zips this past Saturday, Feb. 21.
Senior Sina King led the way for Akron recording her team-leading 12th double-double of the season with a 16-point, 12-rebound performance.
Junior Anita Brown contributed 14 points, six rebounds and two steals for the Zips, while freshman Kerri McMahan (Novi, Mich.) added nine points, and an assist.
The Zips struggled offensively from the floor shooting 37.3 percent (19-of-51) and only 22.2 percent from long range. Ohio finished the game shooting 39.1 (25-for-64) percent as a team and at a 26.9 percent (7-for-26) clip from beyond the arc.
Kiyanna Black scored a game-high 31 points to go with three rebounds and two steals to lead the Bobcats.
The Zips won the rebounding battle on the evening, 38-32, including 30-22 on the defensive glass. Akron was sparked by 12, six, and six rebounds from King, Brown and junior DiAndra Gibson.
Nationally Speaking
The Zips are nationally-ranked in several categories this season. As a team, Akron is 17th in field-goal percentage (.450), 21st in assists per game (16.4), 27th in scoring (75.7), 28th in defensive rebounding (29.0), 36th in assist/turnover ratio (1.10), 38th in scoring margin (+10.6), 40th in won-loss percentage (.760), 50th in three-point percentage defense (.288), 56th in rebounding margin (+4.6) and 65th in three-point percentage (.346),. Individually, Sina King is 27th, 31st, 69th and 69th, respectively, in double-doubles (12), scoring (19.9), field-goal percentage (.488) and rebounds per game (8.9). Anita Brown is rated 48th in scoring (18.4) and 82nd in field-goal percentage (.481), while junior Megan Barilla is fifth in the nation in assist-turnover ratio (3.03). Sophomore Hannah Plybon is seventh in three-pointers per game (3.00) and 47th in three-point percentage (.403).
King Candidate For Senior CLASS Award
Senior Sina King was named one of 30 women's basketball candidates for the 2015 Senior CLASS Award.
To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character, and competition.
The Senior CLASS Award winner will be announced during the 2015 NCAA Women's Final Four®.
Brown Named High-Major National Player of the Week
Akron junior Anita Brown was tabbed by College Sports Madness on Jan. 19 as its Madness High-Major Women's Basketball National Player of the Week for her efforts leading the Zips to a pair of road victories.
She also claimed top honors by College Sports Madness as its Mid-American Conference Player of the Week (Jan. 19).
Brown registered 26.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.5 steals per contest en route to leading the Zips to road wins at Toledo and Miami.
Akron Notes
• Led by 25 and 23 double-figure scoring games, respectively, from Sina King and Anita Brown and 13 and seven courtesy of Hannah Plybon and Kerri McMahan, Akron has had players surpass the double-digit scoring plateau 75 times this season.
• The Zips have won 24 of their last 28 games at the James A. Rhodes Arena, including an 12-2 mark this season.
• Akron is 15-1 this season when scoring 70 or more points.
• Senior Sina King cracked the top-10 for career games played as a Zip when she took the court versus Ohio on Jan. 28. The contest was the 112th time King donned Akron uniform. With her appearance against Ohio, King has appeared in 118 games as a Zip.
• The Zips have led or been tied in the second half in all but two games this season.
• Freshman Kerri McMahan became only the second Zip this season to lead Akron in rebounding and assists in a game with her eight-rebound, seven-assist effort in a 72-60 loss at Ohio on Jan. 28. The eight dimes established a new career-high mark for McMahan.
• The Zips' 74-72 triumph over Central Michigan marked their first victory in Mount Pleasant, Mich., since Feb. 6, 2001.
• Akron equaled a school record connecting on 13 three-pointers in its win at Central Michigan on Jan. 24. The Zips' effort matched the 13 triples Akron drained versus the Chippewas on Feb. 21, 2005.
• Senior Sina King, junior Anita Brown and sophomore Hannah Plybon each registered career-high marks in scoring in the Zips' 102-101 victory at Toledo. The trio registered 29, 36 and 26 points, respectively.
• Brown's 36 points against the Rockets represented the fourth-highest single-game scoring effort in program history, while junior Megan Barilla's notched the ninth-best performance for assists with 10 dimes.
• Since 2010, Akron has surpassed the 100-point plateau in scoring on seven occasions, including versus Valparaiso and Toledo this season. The Zips' record all-time when scoring 100 or more is 10-0.
• The Zips' 102-101 victory at Toledo marked the first time in program history that both Akron and its opponent had surpassed 100 points in a game.
• The Zips' 102 points at Toledo represented the fifth-best single-game scoring output in program history, while also marking the first contest this season decided by less than five points for Akron.
• The Zips have displayed their defensive presence in the squad's first 25 games as Akron has committed the same or fewer turnovers than its opponents in 15 of its 25 games.
• The Zips have garnered seven Mid-American Conference East Player of the Week selections this season with Anita Brown (Nov. 17, Dec. 1 and Jan. 20) and Sina King (Nov. 24, Jan. 26 and Feb. 16) have led the way earning the award three times each. Taking home accolades on Jan. 12 was Hannah Plybon.
• The Zips' 67-59 win over Bowling Green marked only the fourth-ever triumph by Akron versus the Falcons.
• Hannah Plybon connected on a career-best six three-pointers en route to recording a then career-high 25 points in the Zips' 65-48 win over Eastern Michigan. Her six triples represented the sixth-best single-game performance in program history.
• DiAndra Gibson (Ravenna, Ohio) registered a game- and career-best 16 rebounds in Akron's 67-59 win past Bowling Green. Her 10 defensive rebounds tied Sina King for the most by a Zip in a game this season.
• Akron connected on a season-best 58.5 percent of its shots in the Zips' 97-62 victory over Ohio Christian.
• Hannah Plybon established a new career-high mark distributing eight assists in Akron's' triumph over Bethune-Cookman.
• Freshman Alli Ball (St. Louis, Mo.) made the most of her first career start registering three point, four rebounds and a team- and game-high two blocks in 20 minutes of action against Bethune-Cookman.
• The Zips' 89-61 win over Morehead State represented the 400th victory in program history.
• Sparked by a 5-for-8 shooting effort in the second half of its 90-74 victory over Siena, Akron finished the contest shooting 50 percent from three-point range. It marked the first time this season that the Zips had connected on 50 percent or better from beyond the arc.
• Anita Brown finished one point shy of equaling her then career high pouring in 28 points on 11-of-21 shooting, including 4-for-7 beyond the arc versus Siena.
• Megan Barilla distributed a then career- and team-high seven assists in the Zips' 90-74 win past Siena.
• Junior Katie Nunan (Fairmont, W. Va.) came off the bench to register 17 of her career-high 19 points in a 73-58 victory over Belmont.
• The 100 points scored against the Crusaders marked the ninth-highest single-game point total in program history. Seven of the top-nine single-game scoring outputs have occurred under ninth-year head coach Jodi Kest.
• Akron nailed 12 three-pointers against Valparaiso, one off the school record of 13 set versus Central Michigan on Feb. 21, 2005 and Jan. 24, 2015.
• The 40 made field goals by the Zips in a 100-65 win over Valparaiso represented the sixth-best single-game effort in program history equaling the mark set against Xavier on Dec. 1, 1984.
• The Zips' 100-65 win over Valparaiso marked the 350th in the coaching career of Kest.
• The 100-point effort against Valparaiso marked the sixth time under Kest's tenure that the Zips have scored at least 100 points in a game.
• Akron began the 2014-15 season as the defending Mid-American Conference champions, and were picked to finish third in the MAC East Division this year in the preseason poll by the league's head coaches.
• Akron returned two starters and eight letterwinners from last year's squad, and welcomed five freshmen to the team this season. In their second-straight 23-win campaign last year, the Zips posted the best conference record in the history of the program at 14-4.
• The Zips made their third postseason appearance in the last five years, advancing to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history. The 13th-seeded Zips ended their postseason run with an 84-55 loss to fourth-seeded Purdue in the first round of the tournament at Mackey Arena.
• King returned to the basketball court for a fifth year this season after sitting out her true senior year to undergo treatment for blood clots. King was named to the All-MAC East Preseason Team. She was a third team All-MAC selection in 2012-13, after putting up 14 double-doubles, averaging 15.0 points and a team-high 8.7 rebounds per game.
• Kest, now in her ninth season at the helm of the program, has collected the most wins of any Akron women's basketball head coach in the history of the program.
March on the Single-Season Record Book
• Sina King and Anita Brown currently own the fourth- and seventh-best single-season scoring averages in program history registering 19.9 and 18.4 points per game this season.
• Hannah Plybon has recorded the fourth-most triples in a campaign with 75, while attempting the fifth-highest total (189). She also maintains the fourth-best three-point shooting percentage (.404) for a single season in program history.
• King needs 53 points to surpass Hanna Luburgh (2012-13) for fifth on single-season scoring list at Akron as she has scored 497 points this year.
• Kerri McMahan and Megan Barilla are on pace by the conclusion of the campaign to crack the top-10 in single-season assist marks as the duo has posted 101 and 91 dimes this year.
Akron Pair Nominated for CoSIDA Honors
Akron senior Sina King and sophomore Hannah Plybon were nominated for the 2015 Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-America Team. To be eligible, student-athletes must have a cumulative grade-point average (GPA) of 3.30 or better and be a starter or significant reserve. In her second semester of graduate school, King maintains a 3.56 GPA in exercise science and physiology, while Plybon, a speech language major, owns a 3.76 cumulative GPA.
Zips' Alumni Weekend
The Akron women's basketball team hosted its annual alumni reunion this past weekend in conjunction with the Zips' home showdown with Ohio on Feb. 21. The Zips welcomed back to Akron some of the most decorated players in program history. All alumni in attendance were recognized at halftime of Akron's contest against the Bobcats.
Zips' Play4Kay Game vs. Toledo
Akron's game versus the Toledo on Feb. 14 served as the Zips' Play4Kay game in honor of the late North Carolina State women's basketball coach Kay Yow, who lost her long battle with breast cancer in 2009.
Poll Party
Akron checked in at No. 18 in the Feb. 24 CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top-25 poll. Other MAC schools showing up in the poll were Ohio (No. 12), Toledo (four votes) and Central Michigan (three votes).
Zips' Offensive Progress Report
In Akron's 25 games this season, this is how the Zips have fared from the field: 50 percent: .585 (Ohio Christian), .545 (Toledo-1), .545 (Bethune-Cookman), .529 (Buffalo-1), .527 (Siena), .525 (Toledo-2), 40 percent: .494 (Valparaiso), .480 (Eastern Michigan), .461 (Morehead State), .459 (Northern Kentucky), .458 (Central Florida), .441 (Ball State), .438 (Miami-1), .438 (Binghamton), .420 (Belmont), .417 (Western Michigan-2), .417 (Western Michigan-1), .410 (Bowling Green-1), .403 (Northern Iowa), 30 percent: .394 (Kent State-1), .390 (Ohio-1), .389 (Youngstown State), .380 (Central Michigan), .373 (Ohio-2), .373 (Northern Illinois), 20 percent: NA.
Akron's Defensive Progress Report
In the Zips' 25 games this season, this is how Akron's opponents have fared from the field: 50 percent: .500 (Toledo-1), 40 percent: .490 (Kent State-1), .483 (Ball State), .455 (Western Michigan-1), .424 (Western Michigan-2), .424 (Youngstown State), .424 (Northern Iowa), .419 (Central Michigan), 30 percent: .391 (Ohio-2), .384 (Buffalo-1), .373 (Ohio Christian), .369 (Siena), .344 (Morehead State), .361 (Ohio-1), .355 (Toledo-2), .355 (Northern Illinois), .343 (Bethune-Cookman), .333 (Bowling Green-1) .333 (Northern Kentucky & Binghamton), .329 (Central Florida), .328 (Miami-1), .317 (Belmont), 20 percent: .297 (Eastern Michigan), .286 (Valparaiso).
Akron in Close Games
Akron has been involved in 51 games decided by five points or fewer under head coach Jodi Kest. A breakdown of those matches is as follows; one-point difference (8-8), two-point difference (9-4), three-point difference (1-4), four-point difference (4-5) and five-point difference (2-6).
The King is Back
Sina King, the lone senior on Akron's roster, has made her return to the basketball court for a fifth year in 2014-15, after a medical issue sidelined her a year ago.
King underwent treatment for blood clots during what would have been her true senior year last season, serving as a student assistant coach to help her teammates capture the first Mid-American Conference championship in school history.
King was a third-team All-MAC selection two years ago in 2012-13, after putting up 14 double-doubles, averaging 15.0 points and a team-high 8.7 rebounds per game. She shot 84.9 percent from the free throw line that year, ranking No. 32 in the nation. The 288 rebounds she pulled down as a junior are the fourth-most for a single season in program history.
She is off to a strong start to the 2014-15 campaign as she is averaging a team-best 19.9 points and a team-best 8.9 rebounds per game. She has led the Zips in rebounding and scoring 14 and 12 times, respectively, while registering a team-high 12 double-doubles. She has scored in doubles figures in 36 consecutive games and 81 times during her career.
Anita Buckets
After playing some of her best basketball near the end of the 2013-14 campaign junior Anita Brown has cracked the starting line-up in 23 of the Zips' 24 games this season. She has responded registering 18.4 points per contest, while connecting on a 48.1 percent of her shots from the field. Additionally, she is pulling down 6.6 rebounds a game, while distributing a 2.7 assists a tilt.
A year ago, she was fourth on the team in scoring and rebounding as the first guard off the bench (7.5 ppg and 4.4 rpg). Brown averaged 10.7 ppg over the course of the 2014 MAC Tournament, including a 16-point effort in 25 minutes in the semifinal game against Central Michigan.
Sophomore Status
Sophomore Hannah Plybon is one of two starters returning from last year's squad. The 2014 All-MAC Freshman-Team selection established herself as a prominent offensive threat on the Zips' roster last season, starting all but one game as a rookie on a senior-laden team. The Orrville, Ohio native scored in double figures on 11 occasions, averaging 25.3 minutes per game and 7.1 ppg (8.2 ppg in MAC play).
This season, she ranks third on the team in scoring 13.0 ppg, while recording 3.3 rebounds 1.9 assists and 0.7 steals per contest. She leads the Zips in three-pointers made (75) and has hit at least two triples in 22 of 25 games this season.
An Unsung Warrior
The mark of a quality team is the willingness of every player to do the little things that may not always show up in the boxscore that helps win ballgames. For the Zips, one of those players this season has been junior DiAndra Gibson.
Entering Akron's game versus Kent State, Gibson is averaging 6.1 points, 6.7 rebounds per game, while shooting 44.1 percent from the floor. She has recorded five or more rebounds in 19 of the Zips' 25 games this season, including pulling down a career-best 16 rebounds in a 67-59 win over Bowling Green.
She has scored in double figures four times during the 2014-15 campaign and connected on 50 percent or better from the field in 10 tilts, including seven of Akron's 14 conference games.
A Steady Hand
Junior Megan Barilla has proven to be a steadying force for the Zips off the bench this season averaging 3.6 assists, while ranking fourth in steals (1.0). She currently owns the fifth-best assist-turnover ratio in the country (3.03) and has posted five or more assists in nine games this season. In 14 league contests, Barilla has distributed 3.6 assists per tilt and has committed zero turnovers in five of those contests.
McMahan On The Rise
Freshman Kerri McMahan has stepped into the starting line-up for the Zips and quickly become a presence for Akron registering 7.3 points, 4.0 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 1.2 steals per contest. She has started all 25 games for Akron scoring in double figures in seven games. She has paced the team in assists and steals 13 and eight times, respectively, this season.
Bench Production
Akron is averaging 11.1 points of production from its bench through the Zips' first 25 games this season. Katie Nunan and freshmen Lauren Hung (Waterford, Mich.), Greta Burry (Lakewood, Ohio) and Alli Ball, junior Megan Barilla along with sophomore Alex Ricketts (Mercer, Pa.) lead the way registering 4.2, 2.3, 1.8, 1.4, 1.4 and 1.3 points, respectively. Ball is pacing the reserves in rebounding pulling down 2.4 caroms per tilt, while Barilla ranks second in assists (91).
Preseason Predictions
The Zips were picked to finish third in the MAC East Division this year in the conference preseason poll voted on by the league's head coaches. UA was projected to finish behind Buffalo and Bowling Green in the East after capturing its first-ever conference tournament title and NCAA Tournament berth a year ago. Buffalo was picked to win the East Division, receiving eight first place votes out of a possible 12. BGSU received three first place votes. Ohio, Miami (Ohio) and Kent State were picked fourth, fifth, and sixth, respectively.
In the West Division, Central Michigan was chosen as the favorite, earning 11 of the 12 first place votes. Ball State was selected second with one first place vote, followed by Western Michigan, Toledo, Eastern Michigan and Northern Illinois.
CMU was also predicted to win the 2015 MAC Tournament, March 9-14 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland.
Leading Scorers
For the third-straight season, the Zips set a new school record for most points scored in 2013-14. Akron's signature high-octane offense averaged 82.0 points per game, which ranked 11th in the nation in scoring offense. UA was also seventh in the country in assists per game at 18.5, fueled by the graduated Kacie Cassell, the school's all-time career assists leader (688).
Zips in the Pros
Following graduation in 2014, seniors Hanna Luburgh and Rachel Tecca signed contracts to play professionally overseas. Luburgh went on to play for AZS UMCS in Lublin, Poland, for the 2014-15 season, while Tecca traveled to Iceland to compete for U.M.F. Grindavik out of the Dominos League. The pair were two of the most prolific scorers to come through Akron, as Tecca left as the career scoring leader and Luburgh holds the single-season record.
Newcomer Notes
• Alli Ball - Fr., St. Louis, Mo./Principia Upper School: Set the school record for career points (1,360), points in a single season (553), blocks in a single season (122) and career blocks (255)...two-time Missouri Basketball Coaches Association all-state selection...two-time first team all-district...named MBCA Class 3 as well as Metro League Player of the Year as a senior...averaged 19.1 points, 9.6 rebounds and 4.2 blocks per game as a senior...led her team to two conference, district and sectional championships in her four years...was a cross country state qualifier as a freshman and a track & field state qualifier as a sophomore.
• Greta Burry - Fr., Lakewood, Ohio/St. Joseph Academy: Four-year letterwinner...averaged 9.1 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.0 steals as a senior...recognized by the Cleveland Plain Dealer as a top-25 player to watch, player of the week and postseason honorable mention...recipient of the coaches award as a senior.
• Kaitlyn Flowers - Fr., Lompoc, Calif./St. Joseph: Scored 1,448 points over the course of her prep career...as a senior, averaged 17.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 4.8 steals per game...shot 41 percent from the field for her career...three-time team captain ... four-time scholar-athlete...all-division first team as a senior and second team as a junior...led her squad to two league championship titles in four years and one California Interscholastic Federation Division 3 state championship...two-time all-league first team defensive MVP...was also an all-league performer in track & field (hurdles).
• Lauren Hung - Fr., Waterford, Mich./Waterford Mott: Earned all-state recognition as a senior...scored 1,315 points for her career...averaged 15.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 2.4 steals per game as a senior...two-time state free throw champion...shot 82 percent from the charity stripe during her senior season...four-time team MVP.
• Kerri McMahan - Fr., Novi, Mich./Novi: Graduated as the only girls' basketball player in school history to surpass 1,000 points, finishing with 1,069 points for her career...set the school single-game scoring record (32 points)...led her team to four division championship titles...four-time all-conference selection...Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan (BCAM) all-state first team as a junior and senior...two-time All-Oakland County first team selection...three-time all-area Player of the Year...received BCAM academic-all state recognition as a junior and senior...averaged 18.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 4.0 steals during her senior season...was also an all-state cross country runner as a freshman and the fifth-fastest freshman in the state of Michigan...three-time all-state runner in the 4x400 meter relay...four-time all-state high jumper...only student-athlete in school history to earn all-state honors in three different sports.
• Megan Sefcik - Fr., Austintown, Ohio/Austintown Fitch: Graduated as the school's second all-time leading scorer...averaged 19.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 4.0 steals per game as a senior...named the conference Player of the Year as a senior...shot 53.0 percent from the field and 89.0 percent from the free throw line during her senior season...three-time first team all-conference selection...All-Ohio Special Mention.
Zips Sign Two Prep Standouts
Akron women's basketball head coach Jodi Kest has announced the signings of prep standouts Lilli Piper (Norton, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit) and Fredniqua "Shaq" Walker (Cleveland, Ohio/Shaw) to national letters of intent to join the program for the 2015-16 season.
Piper, a 5-10 guard from nearby Walsh Jesuit High School, averaged 12.3 points, 8.6 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game last season. She earned All-Ohio Special Mention recognition as a junior, and was also named first team all-district. A multi-sport athlete, Piper was tabbed the 2014 softball player of the year by Cleveland.com, and maintains a 3.6 GPA.
Walker a 6-1 post player out of Shaw High School in Cleveland, averaged a double-double a year ago with 12.0 points and 10.0 rebounds per game. She earned all-district recognition following her junior campaign in 2013-14. Walker boasts a 4.3 GPA and ranks No. 1 in her class.
Reid Promoted, Pierce Joins Akron Staff
Head coach Jodi Kest made a few changes in her staff during the offseason, promoting former graduate assistant Preston Reid to assistant coach, and hiring Sam Pierce as an assistant coach.
Reid served as a graduate assistant on Kest's staff for the last two seasons, after one year as the assistant video coordinator at Florida State.
Pierce comes to Akron from the state of Pennsylvania, where he founded a basketball development program called PA Pride located in Altoona, Pa. He coached boys and girls for the last six years as a part of the program.
2013-14 Postseason Recap
In Coach Kest's eighth year at the helm, Akron captured its second-consecutive 23-win season in 2013-14, finishing the year with a 23-10 overall record and a 14-4 mark in Mid-American Conference play.
Akron used the strength of a school-record 13-game winning streak to earn the No. 3 seed in the MAC Tournament for the second-straight season. During the last week of the regular season, it was one of 10 active double-digit winning streaks in Division I.
Along with several team and individual school records, the Zips secured their first MAC Tournament title and NCAA Tournament berth in the 40-year history of the program. The Zips were selected as the No. 13 seed in the South Bend region and traveled to No. 4 seed Purdue to play the Boilermakers on their home court at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind.
UA kept it close in the first half, trailing 46-34 at the break, but would fall 84-55 as the historic season came to a close.
