Kest Earns 400th Career Win In 75-58 Victory over Youngstown State

Tuesday, December 5

Akron, Ohio

7 pm

University of Akron

4-3

Youngstown State University

2-6

Youngstown State

Akron

Photo by: Jeff Harwell

Kest Earns 400th Career Win In 75-58 Victory over Youngstown State

December 05 | Women's Basketball

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AKRON, Ohio– Redshirt junior Megan Sefcik (Austintown, Ohio) and sophomore Shaunay Edmonds (Pittsburgh, Pa.) scored a combined 39 points to lead the Akron women's basketball team to a 75-58 win over Youngstown State and earned head coach Jodi Kest her 400^th career victory, Tuesday night at James A. Rhodes Arena.

In her 25-year career, Kest earned 48 wins at Wilkes University, 105 victories at Gannon University, 73 W's at Texas A&M – Corpus Christie, and now the Zips' all-time winningest coach earned her 174^th win with UA to total her 400^th career victory.

Akron now improves to 4-3 on the season, while Youngstown State fell to 2-6.

Offensively the Zips shot a season-high 47.4 percent (27-of-57) from the field and a season-best 48.1 percent (13-of-27) from beyond the arc. The Zips 13 triples in the contest are tied for the third-most three-pointers made in a single game. Akron caught fire in the second quarter when the Zips shot 69.2 percent (9-of-13) from the floor and an even more efficient 75.0 percent clip (3-for-4) from long distance.

Sefcik recorded a team-high 20 points, her second 20-point effort of the season, which again tied her career-mark. Sefick has now scored in double-figures in five straight games and hit at least three triples in six contests, 4-for-8 tonight. Edmonds chipped in a season-high 19 points, hit a career-best four three-pointers in a single-game, dished out seven assists, and ripped four steals. Rounding out the Zips' in double figures in the point column was sophomore Shayna Harmon (Ashville, Ohio) who posted a ten point, three assist performance.

For the Penguins, Indiya Benjamin led the way with a game-high 25 points and five rebounds, while Sarah Cash and Alison Smolinski scored 12 and 10 points, respectively. Collectively as a unit, YSU shot 43.6 percent from the floor and 30.4 percent from long range.

Following tip-off, the contest went back-and-forth in the first five minutes with YSU taking a slight advantage, 11-10. Sefick hit a pair of triples and senior Greta Burry (Lakewood, Ohio) hit back-to-back layups by running the floor and Edmonds tossed two perfect passes to her teammate on the run.

After a battle to start the period, the Penguins gained momentum in the closing minutes of the first quarter and went on an 8-2 run to grab a 24-17 lead at the first-period break.

The Zips trailed heading into the second quarter, however, Akron scored 14 unanswered points to flip the lead to 31-26 in the first five and a half minutes (10:00-4:26). Sefcik and Harmon each scored five points during the run with both garnering a three-pointer and a lay-in.

Akron played lockdown defense allowing the Penguins to take just 11 shots in the second quarter, with only two made baskets. YSU was held scoreless for just shy of seven minutes with their first bucket coming at the 3:17 mark.

Akron continued to find the bottom of the net to end the second quarter with 7-3 run and take a 38-29 lead into the lockerroom. The Zips outscored the Penguins 21-5 in the second stanza and limited YSU to an 18.2 percent clip from the floor.

The third quarter again went back-and-forth for the entire ten minutes of play with the Zips taking a slight advantage overall, 17-15. No team scored more than six points in a row before being countered by the opponent. Akron's second-largest lead of the game, 55-40, came at the 1:37 mark of the third quarter after Edmonds nailed her third triple of the period to give the Zips a plus-15 advantage.

The Penguins used a pair of runs to cut their deficit down to eight and close in on the Zips. YSU scored seven-straight points to close the third quarter and hit a three-pointer to start quarter number four. After three points from the Zips, the Penguins went on a 5-0 run to cut the deficit to eight points, 60-52 and forced a timeout by the Zips with 4:47 left in the contest.

From that point on, Akron closed out the game outscoring the Penguins 15-7 to pull away with the contest.

Harmon closed the book on the game hitting a three-pointer with 22 seconds on the clock to give Akron a 17-point lead and a 75-58 win.

Akron hits the road for the first time in three weeks after a six-game homestand as the Zips travel to Duquesne on Saturday, Dec. 9. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m. in Pittsburgh, Pa.