The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
19-12
Toledo
17-13
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT 1 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Akron | 22 | 18 | 10 | 10 | 13 | 73 |
| Toledo | 17 | 19 | 8 | 16 | 11 | 71 |
Brown Shoots Akron To 73-71 Overtime Win Past Toledo in MAC Tournament Quarterfinals
March 09 | Women's Basketball
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CLEVELAND, Ohio - Senior Anita Brown (Warren, Ohio) poured in a career-high 37 points to propel the University of Akron women's basketball team to a 73-71 overtime victory over Toledo (17-13) in the Mid-American Conference Quarterfinals on Wednesday, March 9, at Quicken Loans Arena.
The Zips (19-12) withstood a furious fourth-quarter rally by the Rockets that erased a 12-point advantage and were able to force overtime where Akron improved to 4-0 on the campaign with the triumph.
Brown proved instrumental in putting the Zips in a position to even send the contest into overtime as her steal with 16 seconds left in the game and outlet pass to a streaking sophomore Greta Burry (Lakewood, Ohio) allowed Akron to tie the game at 62 with 10 seconds to play.
Following a timeout, Jay-Ann Bravo-Harriott turned the ball over with 2.6 seconds left in regulation. Brown secured the inbounds pass and let fly with a half-court shot at the buzzer that hit back iron before bouncing out.
In overtime, Brown nailed a jumper at the 4:32 mark and the Zips didn't relinquish the lead en route to outscoring the Rockets in the extra session, 13-11.
A huge three-ball by junior Hannah Plybon (Orrville, Ohio), who registered five of her eight points in the affair in overtime, and an offensive rebound and basket by Burry down the stretch sealed the deal for the Zips.
Brown went 9-for-13 from the field in the first half en route to scoring 21 of her 37points for the Zips. The senior also added seven rebounds, three assists and three steals in the win.
Brown's 37 points represented the third-best single-game scoring effort in program history, matching Hanna Luburgh's 37-point explosion against Dayton on Nov. 15, 2013.
Brown now owns four games with 30 or more points in her career and surpassed her previous career-best mark of 36 points set versus the Rockets in a 102-101 victory on Jan. 14, 2015 in Toledo, Ohio. Additionally, she has poured in 29 or more points in three of Akron's last four tilts versus the Rockets, including a 29-point effort in an 81-71 triumph on Jan. 20, 2016.
Senior DiAndra Gibson (Ravenna, Ohio) contributed 10 points, while senior Megan Barilla (Fairview Park, Ohio), Burry and redshirt freshman Megan Sefcik (Austintown, Ohio) all chipped in six points in the effort. Barilla also matched a career-high with a game-high 10 rebounds and added a team-high six assists.
Three Toledo players scored in double figures led by Brenae Harris with 24 points. Janice Monakana and Ana Capotosto followed that up with 14 and 11 points, respectively.
The Zips shot 42 percent (29-of-68) from the field in the contest and 80 percent (8-of-10) from the charity stripe. The Rockets went 22-for-56 (39.3 percent) from the floor and 20-for-29 (69 percent) from the foul line.
Toledo outrebounded Akron in the affair, 41-35. The Zips capitalized on 18 turnovers by the Rockets turning the miscues into a 17-9 advantage in points off turnovers.
Toledo got out to a hot start in the game knocking down two three-pointers to take an early 6-0 lead. However, a three ball by Gibson and a bucket by Brown brought the Zips within one, 6-5, at the 8:05 mark.
Akron then used an 11-6 run highlighted by three consecutive three-pointers from Sefcik and Brown to claim a 16-12 lead with 4:16 remaining in the opening stanza. The two teams traded baskets in the final four minutes of the period as Akron held onto a slim, 22-17, advantage after one period.
Both teams struggled to score in the first minute and a half of the second quarter until Plybon swished her first shot from beyond the arc. The Rockets battled back after scoring seven-straight points to trail by one, 25-24, with 6:26 left before halftime. Akron's lead grew no larger than four points heading into intermission, as the last five minutes were a back-and-forth affair.
After two minutes of scoreless action in the beginning of the third frame, Brown scored a layup off an assist from Plybon at the 7:38 mark to put Akron up, 42-36. Another jumper by Brown followed by a layup from Barilla pushed the Zips' lead to eight. Four consecutive points by Barilla gave Akron its largest lead of the game, 50-38.
Toledo responded holding the Zips scoreless for nearly seven minutes (6:34) and parlayed a 14-0 run on the offensive end to reclaim a two-point lead, 52-50, on free throws by Harris with 7:14 to play. The lead was the first for the Rockets since a 12-10 advantage in the opening quarter.
After going scoreless for six and a half minutes, Akron scored off an out-of-bounds play when Gibson went back door for a layup with 6:27 left on the clock. Over the following four minutes, both teams exchanged leads as the score stood even, 58-58, with less than two minutes left in the game.
Akron will play eighth-seeded Buffalo on Friday, March 11, at Noon in the Semifinals of the MAC Championship. The Bulls knocked off No. 1 Ohio by a score of 72-60 in their Quarterfinal game on Wednesday.
