The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
13-11, 7-6MAC
Kent State
5-18, 2-11MAC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kent State | 22 | 25 | 11 | 8 | 66 |
| Akron | 19 | 17 | 19 | 23 | 78 |
Plybon and Brown Rally Akron Past Kent State, 78-66
February 17 | Women's Basketball
Follow Akron Women's Basketball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram
Follow Coach Kest on Twitter
Purchase Women's Basketball Individual Game Tickets Click Here
BOX SCORE | BOXSCORE (PDF) | VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS
AKRON, Ohio - In a Wagon Wheel Showdown, the University of Akron women's basketball team rallied from an 11-point third-quarter deficit to defeat Kent State, 78-66, on Wednesday, Feb. 17, at James A. Rhodes Arena behind a career-high 30 points from junior Hannah Plybon (Orrville, Ohio).
With the victory, the Zips improve to 13-11 (7-6 MAC) on the season, while the Golden Flashes drop to 5-18 (2-11 MAC).
Plybon's 30-point outing came off a 6-for-11 shooting from downtown. The six triples equaled a career-best mark. Senior Anita Brown (Warren, Ohio) added 17 points, including 14 in the second half, and pulled down 10 rebounds to notch her fifth double-double of the season, while senior DiAndra Gibson (Ravenna, Ohio) tallied 13 points and collected six rebounds.
Larissa Lurken led the Golden Flashes with 16 points, while Jordan Korinek fell one rebound shy of a double-double adding 15 points and pulling down nine rebounds. Tyra James rounded out the double-digit scorers for Kent State with 12 points.
For the game, Akron shot 47 percent (27-of-57), and connected on 46 percent (11-of-24) of its shots from behind the three-point line. The Golden Flashes were 50-percent (28-of-56) from the field and hit on 38-percent (6-of-16) of their three-point attempts.
The Zips outrebounded the Golden Flashes, 33-30, led by 10 rebounds from Brown. Akron also benefited from a game-high nine assists from senior Megan Barilla (Fairview Park, Ohio), one off her career-high total set versus Central Florida on Dec. 5.
After a slow start by both teams, the shots started to fall, as the score was tied 11-11 with 3:43 left on the first-quarter clock. Plybon led the charge for the Zips in the opening stanza, connecting on three shots from behind the arc, en route to 11 first-quarter points. The Golden Flashes took a 22-19 lead into the second quarter of play following a 6-0 run in the final minute of the opening stanza.
Kent State opened the second period with a 16-7 run to jump out to a 38-26 lead with just under four minutes remaining in the half. Plybon connected on back-to-back triples to cut the Zips' deficit to six, but the Golden Flashes entered the halftime break with a 47-36 lead.
The Golden Flashes connected on 55.9 percent of their first-half shots and dominated inside in the first 20 minutes, outscoring the Zips 18-2 in the paint. Akron connected on seven shots from outside, led by Plybon with 21 points.
Brown opened the second half with five-straight points for the Zips, connecting on back-to-back shots. The Golden Flashes were forced to call a timeout to stop the Akron momentum after the Zips cut their lead to seven points, 51-44, with six minutes to play in the quarter.
After forcing Kent State into six turnovers over a five-minute span, the Zips found themselves within six points with less than two minutes left in the third period. Plybon connected on another triple to bring Akron within three points, 58-55, heading into the final quarter of play.
The Zips took their first lead, 59-58, since 2:48 in the first quarter after baskets by Brown and Gibson, but the Golden Flashes answered with a basket of their own to retake the lead, 60-59, with eight minutes left to play.
Redshirt freshman Megan Sefcik (Austintown, Ohio) answered burying back-to-back triples to propel the Zips to a 65-60 lead with just under six minutes in the game.
Gibson brought the James A. Rhodes Arena crowd to its feet after connecting on a long three-pointer, giving Akron a 68-62 lead at the 5:25 mark.
Over the next four minutes, both teams went back-and-forth until the Golden Flashes were forced to foul to stop the clock. Plybon tied her career high with her 26th point at the free throw line to put the Zips ahead, 74-66, with one minute to play.
The junior then converted four consecutive free throws to close the game out for the Zips, tallying her new career-high of 30 points.
The Zips return to action on Saturday, Feb. 20 when they face MAC leaders Ohio, at 4 p.m. at James A. Rhodes Arena. The game will be televised on Time Warner Cable and ESPN3.
