The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
Youngstown State
In-State Showdown on Tap as Akron Visits Youngstown State
December 05 | Women's Basketball
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AKRON AT YOUNGSTOWN STATE GAME NOTES - 12/6/16 (PDF)
Akron (3-2) at Youngstown State (3-4)
Tuesday, Dec. 6
Beeghly Center (6,300)
Youngstown, Ohio • 7 p.m.
Live Stats: www.ysusports.com
Webstream: www.ysusports.com
Radio: SportsRadio 1350 AM (WARF) in Akron (flagship), for free at SportsRadio1350.com and on iHeartRadio. Bill Morgan will have the call starting with the pregame show starting at 6:45 p.m.
Television: ESPN3/Watch ESPN
What's Ahead
An in-state showdown is on tap for Akron on Tuesday, Dec. 6, as the Zips travel to Youngstown State. Game time at the Beeghly Center is slated for 7 p.m.
A Look at Youngstown State
Youngstown State has rolled off victories in three of its last four contests entering play versus Akron on Tuesday, Dec. 6., after a 69-68 home triumph past St. Francis on Saturday, Dec. 3. Junior Sarah Cash leads three Penguins averaging double figures in scoring netting a team-best 11.6 points per contest. Junior Indiya Benjamin and freshman Mary Dunn also surpass the double-digit scoring plateau averaging 10.1 and 10.0 tallies, respectively. Youngstown State is recording 66.9 points per contest and has connected at nearly 38 percent (.377) from the field and at a 27.3-percent clip from beyond the arc.
As a team, the Penguins are ranked 33rd in the NCAA in free throw percentage (.756).
Series History
Akron will be meeting Youngstown State for the 56th time in program history with the Penguins owning a 36-19 all-time series lead. Akron registered a 74-49 home triumph past Youngstown State, on Dec. 21, 2015, at James A. Rhodes Arena.
The Coaches
Youngstown State: John Barnes is in his fourth season leading the Penguins' program owning a 60-44 (.577) record and owns a 216-99 (.686) ledger in 11 years as a head coach.
Akron: In her 11th year on the Akron sidelines as head coach, is Jodi Kest, who has a 164-155 mark (.514), including 390-308 (.559) overall, in her 25th year as a head coach.
In Our Last Meeting
Akron def. Youngstown State, 74-49 (Dec. 21, 2015)
AKRON, Ohio. - Led by a 19-point and 14-rebound performance from Anita Brown, Akron registered a 74-49 victory past Youngstown State at James A. Rhodes Arena.
Joining Brown with double-digit scoring efforts for Akron was Hannah Plybon (Orrville, Ohio) with 17 points, while DiAndra Gibson notched her second career double-double with a 14-point, 10-rebound performance. Sarah Cash and Alison Smolinski paced Youngstown State's attack collecting 15 and 10 points, respectively.
The Zips finished the affair connecting on 41.9 percent of their shots, while limiting the Penguins to a 29.5 percent shooting mark.
Akron posted a decided 58-27 advantage in rebounds, including 23-8 on the offensive glass. The Zips parlayed the rebounds into a 46-22 margin in points in the paint.
Greta Burry (Lakewood, Ohio) finished with eight points and eight rebounds for Akron, while Megan Barilla distributed a game-high nine assists.
The Zips posted a 16-9 margin in bench scoring led by six and four points, respectively, from Alli Ball (St. Louis, Mo.) and Sophia Simone.
Sefcik's Career Day Leads Akron Past Winthrop, 80-59
Sparked by a career-high 19 points from redshirt sophomore Megan Sefcik (Austintown, Ohio), including drilling five three pointers, Akron registered a 80-59 victory past Winthrop on Saturday, Dec. 3.
Sefcik led three Zips netting double-digit scoring efforts. Joining her with 10 points apiece were seniors Hannah Plybon and Alex Ricketts (Mercer, Pa.). Danyael Goodhope posted a team-best 14 points for the Eagles, while chipping in 10 points was Erica Williams.
Fueled by a 61.5 percent shooting mark over the final quarter, Akron finished the contest connecting on 48.4 percent of its attempts from the field. The Zips defensively limited Winthrop to a 41.3 percent effort on the afternoon.
Led by six rebounds from junior Alli Ball, Akron garnered a 39-35 margin on the glass. Ball also distributed a game- and career-high five assists.
The Zips got strong contributions off the bench as Akron's reserves outscored the Eagles, 46-32.
Leading that effort after Sefcik's 19 points with five points apiece was junior Lauren Hung (Waterford, Mich.) and freshman Brooke Kurucz (Parkersburg, W. Va.).
Bucknell Too Much Down the Stretch as Akron Drops 61-47 Decision
A third-quarter shooting slump proved too much for Akron to overcome as the Zips suffered a 61-47 setback to Bucknell on Wednesday, Nov. 30, in front of a crowd of over 1,000 students from the Akron area as part of Akron's Fourth Annual Education Day at James A. Rhodes Arena.
Freshman Shaunay Edmonds (Pittsburgh, Pa.) and Alex Ricketts led the Zips with a team-best six points apiece, while Hannah Plybon added a five-point, three-rebound outing. Sune Swart directed a balanced-scoring attack for the Bison with 17 points and six rebounds. Kaitlyn Slagus chipped in a double-double with a 13-point and 11-board performance. Kyi English and Kate Walker rounded out Bucknell's double-digit scoring with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
For the game, the Zips shot 30.2 percent (19-of-63) from the floor and converted 50 percent (6-of-12) of their attempts from the charity stripe. Akron shot 21.4 percent (3-of-14) from behind the three-point arc. The Bison hit 40 percent (20-of-50) of their shots from the field and shot 72.2 percent (13-of-18) from the free throw line. Bucknell converted on 33.3 percent (8-of-24) of their shots from downtown.
Registering their first career collegiate points in the affair for Akron were freshmen Shayna Harmon (Ashville, Ohio), Brooke Kurucz and Haliegh Reinoehl (Westfield, Ind.) and sophomore Fredniqua Walker (Cleveland, Ohio).
Plybon Among the NCAA's Elite
One of the most dynamic players in women's collegiate basketball, Hannah Plybon enters play this Tuesday, Dec. 6, versus Youngstown State highly ranked among the active women's basketball players in Division 1 in several categories. Plybon is currently ranked second, second, sixth, ninth, 45th and 48th, respectively, among active career leaders in triples attempted per game (6.99), three pointers attempted (713), triples made (251), three pointers made per contest (2.46), field goals attempted (1,100) and points (1,278). Across all divisions of women's basketball, Plybon is rated fourth in three pointers attempted and taken per game and eighth in triples made.
News, Notes and Storylines
• Hannah Plybon enters play versus Youngstown State needing 19 triples to surpass Taylor Ruper's (2009-13) school-record 269 three pointers made. A year ago, she connected on a school-record 104 three pointers during the 2015-16 campaign.
• When Hannah Plybon surpasses 20 points in a contest Akron has posted an 14-5 record.
• Akron enters its contest versus Youngstown State on Tuesday, Dec. 6, having won 60 of its last 87 games dating back to the 2013-14 campaign.
• Since the start of the 2011-12 campaign, the Zips have won 74 percent (.740) of their games at James A. Rhodes Arena, having posted a 57-20 ledger.
• Hannah Plybon came into the 2016-17 campaign as the Zips' active leader in career scoring. She will enter Akron's game with Youngstown State having amassed 1,278 points and has connected on 38.1 percent of her shots from the field and at a 35.2-percent clip from beyond the arc.
• Hannah Plybon is ranked eighth in career scoring at Akron with 1,278 career points. She is 267 points shy of surpassing Pam Arnold (1,544) for seventh all-time in the Zips' record book.
• Greta Burry is shooting 52.1 percent from the field for her career having made 135 of her 259 shots.
• The Zips have won 19 or more games in each of the last four seasons.
Akron Notes
• Shaunay Edmonds turned in a solid game for the Zips versus Bucknell on Wednesday, Nov. 30, leading Akron in scoring (6), rebounds (5), assists (4) and steals (3) in 24 minutes of action.
• Haliegh Reinoehl registered career-high marks in scoring (5), rebounding (5) and blocked shots (3) against Bucknell on Nov. 30.
• Five players in Hannah Plybon (4), Megan Sefcik (3), Alex Ricketts (2), Alli Ball (1) and Shaunay Edmonds (1) have scored in double figures for the Zips this season.
• Twelve Zips have established career-high marks in scoring this season including; Hannah Plybon (39 at Canisius), Megan Sefcik (19 at Winthrop), Alli Ball (15 vs. Malone), Alex Ricketts (14 at Penn State), Shaunay Edmonds (10 vs. Malone), Brittany Gordon (South Charleston, W. Va.) (6 at Penn State), Brooke Kurucz (5 at Winthrop), Haliegh Reinoehl (5 vs. Bucknell), Shayna Harmon (4 vs. Bucknell), Fredniqua Walker (4 at Winthrop), Caitlin Vari (Richfield, Ohio) (4 at Winthrop) and Alyssa Clay (Indianapolis, Ind.) (2 at Winthrop).
• Shaunay Edmonds poured in 10 points in her collegiate debut versus Malone (Nov. 12), while fellow rookie Caitlin Vari also cracked the scoring column for the first time as a Zip with two points off the bench against the Pioneers.
• Hannah Plybon is averaging a team-best 10.0 points in the first half of games this season, while Greta Burry is shooting 56.3 percent (9-16) in the initial 20 minutes of the Zips' five tilts on the campaign.
• In the second half of games this season, Hannah Plybon leads the offensive efforts for Akron averaging 9.2 points. As a team, the Zips are shooting 42.6 percent from the field in the final 20 minutes in their five contests this season.
• Alli Ball narrowly missed registering her second career double-doubles as she posted a 15-point, eight rebound performance in Akron's 63-52 win over Malone (Nov. 12).
• Hannah Plybon owns 19 career 20-point performances after she poured in a career-best 39 points at Canisius on Nov. 20.
• The Zips have won 37 of their last 46 games at the James A. Rhodes Arena, including a 1-1 mark this season.
• Since 2010, Akron has surpassed the 100-point plateau in scoring on nine occasions, including versus Valparaiso and Toledo during the 2014-15 campaign. The Zips' record all-time when scoring 100 or more is 11-0.
• The Zips made their fifth postseason appearance in the past seven years last season, advancing to the Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT). The Zips ended their postseason run with an 74-70 loss against Bucknell.
• Jodi Kest, now in her 11th 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.
NCAA Rankings
• The Zips enter play versus Youngstown State on Tuesday, Dec. 6, third in the NCAA in fewest fouls committed (74), while rating 12th in three-point defense (.241), 20th in fewest turnovers (86), 55th in triples per contest (7.6) and 56th in three point percentage (.358).
• Individually, Hannah Plybon is 26th in the country in triples per game (3.20) , while also rating 44th in scoring (19.2) and 55th in free throw percentage (.870). Megan Sefcik is 56th nationally in three-point percentage (.441).
Akron MAC Statistical Leaders
• Akron enters play versus Youngstown State on Tuesday, Dec. 6, rated first in the Mid-American Conference in three-point defense (.241), third in three-point percentage (.358) and fifth in blocked shots (3.6) and triples made (7.6).
• Hannah Plybon (4th in scoring - 19.2; 3rd in free throw percentage - .870; 4th in triples made - 3.2)
• Greta Burry (4th in blocked shots - 1.4; 7th in offensive rebounding - 3.0)
• Shaunay Edmonds (9th in steals - 2.0)
• Megan Sefcik (6th in three-point percentage (.441); 5th in triples made - 3.0)
A Look at the 2016-17 Zips
Headlining the Zips' lineup this season will be senior Hannah Plybon, who earned second-team All-Mid-American Conference accolades last year averaging 16.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists per contest. She registered a school-record 104 three-pointers en route to scoring in double figures in 27 games, including recording 20 or more points in 11 tilts.
Junior Greta Burry and senior Alex Ricketts also played significant roles in Akron's success a year ago.
Ricketts, along with Plybon and graduate transfer Brittany Gordon comprise Akron's senior class for the 2016-17 campaign.
Burry appeared in 33 games, including 32 starts for the Zips a season ago, averaging 7.9 points, 6.0 rebounds and 0.7 assists per contest. She ranked sixth in the MAC in field goal percentage (.522) and shot a team-best 52.2 percent from the field, while leading Akron in offensive rebounds (78).
Ricketts played in all 33 contests for the Zips during the 2015-16 campaign, including making a pair of starts, en route to averaging 3.4 points and 2.8 rebounds per game.
The Zips are also expecting solid contributions from its junior class of Alli Ball, Lauren Hung and Kaitlyn Flowers (Lompoc, Calif.), along with redshirt sophomore Megan Sefcik and sophomore Fredniqua Walker.
Ball played in 30 contests last season averaging 2.4 points and 2.5 rebounds per game as a sophomore, while Hung appeared in 23 games registering 3.0 points per tilt and Flowers earned playing time in five games.
Averaging 2.3 points per contest in 27 games was Sefcik, while Walker returns after appearing in five games for the Zips as a freshman.
The experience of Akron's upperclassmen will be key to the Zips, as Kest and her staff have added to the mix a talented core of six true freshmen this season. The first-year players include; Alyssa Clay, Shaunay Edmonds, Shayna Harmon, Haliegh Reinoehl, Caitlin Vari and Brooke Kurucz.
Preseason Projections
Akron senior Hannah Plybon was named to the Preseason All-Mid-American Conference East team in a preseason poll of 12 conference coaches, the league office announced Oct. 27.
The Zips were picked to finish third as a team in the MAC East Division behind Ohio (69 points) and 2015-16 MAC Tournament Champion Buffalo (60 points). Following Akron (48 points) was Bowling Green (30 points), Miami (27 points) and Kent State (18 points).
In the MAC West, Central Michigan (72 points) received all 12 first-place votes and was named the favorite to win the division. Ball State (53 points) and Toledo (53 points) were pegged to finish second and were followed by Western Michigan (34 points), Northern Illinois (25 points) and Eastern Michigan (15 points).
Also voted on by the coaches was the predicted 2017 MAC Regular Season Champion. Central Michigan received six of the 12 first-place votes, while Ohio (five) and Buffalo (one) collected the remaining championships tallies.
In a tabulation of the MAC Championship winner, Central Michigan was selected as the favorite earning seven first-place tallies. The Chippewas were followed again by Ohio with four votes, while Buffalo rounded out the poll with the final tally.
Plybon in Akron's 1,000-Point Club
With her second of two free throws with 46 seconds remaining in Akron's 77-65 victory past Miami on Feb. 6, 2016, Hannah Plybon joined the 1,000-point club at Akron. Plybon will enter the Youngstown State contest with 1,278 career points.
Zips Ink Four for 2017 Recruiting Class
The University of Akron women's basketball team, under the leadership of 11th-year head coach Jodi Kest, has announced the addition of four student-athletes joining the Zips' squad for the 2017-18 campaign.
Donning the Akron uniform next season will be Kynnedy Azubike (Columbus, Ohio/Africentric), Taylor Gregory (Mt. Vernon, Ohio/Mt. Vernon), Sarah Leyendecker (Lawrenceburg, Ind./Mother of Mercy (Ohio)), and Destiny Perkins (McCordsville, Ind./Lawrence North), who have signed National Letters of Intent to join the Zips' program for the 2017-18 campaign.
A 6-0 guard from Africentric High School in Columbus, Ohio, Azubike averaged 13.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.5 steals per contest as a junior en route to earning All-City accolades. She helped her squad capture a state title in Division III in 2016.
A 6-2 forward from Mt. Vernon High School in Mt. Vernon, Ohio, Gregory registered 14.4 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.0 blocks, 2.0 assists and 2.0 steals per contest as a junior en route to earning first-team all-conference honors.
A 6-4 forward/center from Mother of Mercy High School in Cincinnati, Ohio, Leyendecker averaged 8.4 points and 5.7 rebounds per game as a junior en route to earning second-team all-conference recognition.
A 5-4 point guard from Lawrence North High School in Indianapolis, Ind., Perkins recorded 10.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 4.0 steals per contest as a junior en route to earning honorable mention all-state accolades. She is the No. 23 rated point guard according to 2017 ESPN HoopGurlz.
Akron in Close Games
Akron has been involved in 60 games decided by five points or fewer under head coach Jodi Kest. A breakdown of those matches is as follows; one-point difference (9-9), two-point difference (11-4), three-point difference (4-4), four-point difference (4-7) and five-point difference (2-6).
Zips' Offensive Progress Report
In Akron's five games this season, this is how the Zips has fared from the field: 50 percent: NA, 40 percent: .484 (Winthrop), .448 (Penn State), .434 (Canisius), 30 percent: .345 (Malone), .302 (Bucknell), 20 percent: NA.
Akron's Defensive Progress Report
In the Zips' five games this season, this is how Akron's opponents have fared from the field: 50 percent: NA, 40 percent: .432 (Penn State), .413 (Winthrop), .400 (Bucknell), 30 percent: .385 (Canisius), .317 (Malone), 20 percent: NA.
What Is a Zip?
• One of the unique nicknames in collegiate athletics belongs to The University of Akron.
• Originally Zippers, athletic director Kenneth "Red" Cochrane officially shortened the nickname to the Zips in 1950. Twenty-five years earlier a campus-wide contest had been conducted to choose a nickname for the University's athletics teams.
• Suggestions submitted by students, faculty, and alumni included Golden Blue Devils, Tip Toppers, Rubbernecks, Hillbillies, Kangaroos, and Cheveliers.
• The winner, freshman Margaret Hamlin, received a prize of $10 for Zippers, a $6 pair of rubber overshoes and a brand name of the BF Goodrich Company.
• The evolution of Zippy, UA's mascot, began 40 years ago when the student council decided the University needed a mascot.
• "Zippy" the kangaroo was officially declared the school's mascot on May 1, 1953. The first known printed reference to the mascot as "Zippy" was a 1965 Zip football press brochure. The Buchtelite's first use of the name "Zippy" came Sept. 24, 1965, in an identification of a photo of the cheerleaders listing "Mascot - 'Zippy' - Charles Huettner."
• In 2007, Zippy was named the Capital One National Mascot of the Year.
Up Next
Akron closes out a three-game road swing with a 1 p.m. matinee affair at Eastern Kentucky.
