The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
1-0
Malone
0-1
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Malone | 17 | 9 | 8 | 18 | 52 |
| Akron | 9 | 14 | 13 | 27 | 63 |
Women's Basketball Opens Season with 63-52 Victory Over Malone
November 12 | Women's Basketball
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AKRON, Ohio - Senior Hannah Plybon (Orrville, Ohio) and junior Alli Ball (St. Louis, Mo.) led the University of Akron women's basketball team to 63-52 victory over Malone in the Zips' 2016-17 season opener on Saturday afternoon, Nov. 12, at James A. Rhodes Arena.
The Zips (1-0) overcame a three-point halftime deficit and trailed by five with 4:18 to play in the third quarter before fighting back to take down the visiting Pioneers (0-1).
Plybon finished the game with a team-high 20 points and shot a perfect 11-for-11 from the free throw line.
Ball added a career-high 15 points after shooting 6-of-12 from the field and contributed a team-high eight rebounds.
Freshman guard Shaunay Edmonds (Pittsburgh, Pa.) chipped in 10 points in her collegiate debut, while redshirt sophomore Megan Sefcik (Austintown, Ohio) went 3-for-6 from three-point range to add nine points in the winning effort.
A 20-point, 13-rebound performance from Baylen Dyrlund directed the offensive efforts for Malone, while Hannah McCue added a 13-point, nine-rebound game.
Akron finished the tilt shooting nearly 35 percent (.345) from the field, while limiting the Pioneers to a 31.7 percent shooting mark.
Malone edged the Zips on the boards, 43-41, while points in the paint were even at 26 apiece. Led by three blocks from junior Greta Burry (Lakewood, Ohio), Akron recorded seven blocks.
A layup by Burry started off the scoring to open the game, as the Zips rushed out to a three-point lead. Malone bounced back to assume a 17-9 lead at the end of the initial stanza capitalizing on Akron's struggles at both ends of the court. The Zips shot just 13.3 percent from the floor in the game's first 10 minutes, while committing six turnovers which Malone converted into a 7-2 advantage off those miscues.
Akron used a four-point run at the beginning of the second quarter to cut the deficit to, 17-13, with 7:40 remaining until intermission. The Pioneers halted the run with a three pointer, however, Plybon responded on the next possession with a three ball of her own. The two teams traded baskets over the next two minutes until a three pointer by Ball, followed by a layup from Burry, put the Zips back on top, 23-22.
Malone tallied the final four points of the half to take a 26-23 lead into halftime. The Pioneers connected on 34.4 percent of their attempts in the initial half, while the Zips hit at just 26.7 percent.
The scoring drought continued into the third quarter as neither team found a basket until Edmonds tipped the ball for a break away layup at the 6:48 mark. Trailing by three, 32-29, with 3:41 on the clock, Ball scored seven consecutive points highlighted by a traditional three-point play to put the Zips up, 36-33.
Sefcik drained a shot beyond the arc right out of the gate of the final period to extend the Zips' lead, 39-34. Nevertheless, the Pioneers battled back to tie the score, 39-39, with 8:46 remaining in the contest.
The Zips managed to recapture and maintain control pushing their lead to as many as 11 points down the stretch. Malone was forced to foul and Akron responded going 8-for-8 from the charity stripe in the final minute and a half to secure the 63-52 triumph.
Akron begins the road portion of its schedule, starting with a visit to Penn State on Wednesday, November 16 at 7 p.m.
