Comeback Effort Falls Short As Zips Battle Duquesne In 66-60 Defeat

Saturday, December 9

Pittsburgh, PA

3 PM

University of Akron

4-4

Duquesne University

9-2

Akron

Duquesne

Photo by: Jeff Harwell

Comeback Effort Falls Short As Zips Battle Duquesne In 66-60 Defeat

December 09 | Women's Basketball

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PITTSBURGH, Pa. – The University of Akron women's basketball team trailed by two points with 15 seconds to play after sophomore Alyssa Clay (Indianapolis, Ind.) completed a four-point play, but the Zips comeback effort fell just short as Duquesne defeated Akron, 66-60, on Saturday afternoon at the A.J. Palumbo Center in Pittsburgh, Pa.

With Akron trailing 62-56 and 27 seconds on the game clock, Clay stepped up for Akron with her second three-pointer in a matter of 15 seconds. The sophomore guards triple was capitalized by drawing the foul, draining the three, and hitting a free throw for a four-point play to bring Akron within two points, 62-60.

On the next possession, the Zips immediately fouled the Dukes to send them to the free throw line. Duquesne's Chassidy Omogrosso hit the pair to give the Dukes a 64-60 lead with 14 ticks left on the clock. As the Zips came back up the court, Edmonds attempted a three-pointer that missed that mark and Duquesne hit a pair of free throws to seal the game.

Three Akron players led the way for the Zips balanced offensive attack scoring in double-figures, including a career-night for Clay scoring 13 points after going 4-5 from the floor, nailing all four of her baskets from beyond the arc. Sophomore guard Shaunay Edmonds (Pittsburgh, Pa.) matched Clay with 13 points, along with six dimes and a steal, while senior Greta Burry (Lakewood, Ohio) added 11 points and pulled down seven rebounds off the glass.

Collectively as a unit, Akron shot a game-high 35.2 percent from the floor (19-of-54), while shooting 36.4 percent from distance (8-of-22). The Zips reserves outplayed the Dukes bench outscoring Duquesne's subs, 26-to-1.

The Akron defense stepped up its play against Duquesne holding the Dukes to 21-of-61 from the floor (34.4 percent) and a low 23.8 percent from beyond the arc (5-of-21). The Zips played lockdown defense in the second quarter limiting Duquense to six points, 1-of-14 from the field.

The opening three minutes of the contest between the Zips and Dukes were a back-and-forth battle. Duquesne opened with four quick points, but a three-pointer by redshirt junior Megan Sefcik (Austintown, Pa.) and a lay-in by Burry made the score, 7-5, after two minutes of play.

A small 4-0 spurt by the Dukes extended their lead to 11-5, before sophomore Haliegh Reinoehl (Westfield, Ind.) nailed a 10-foot jumper from the baseline to close the Duquense run.

From that point on, the final five minutes again went back-and-forth with Duquense holding a slight 9-6 advantage, en route to a 20-13 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Akron flipped the script and dominated the second quarter.

An 11-0 run by the Zips gave Akron their first lead of the contest, 24-20, at the 5:58 mark of the second period. During the Zips run, five different Zips played a part in taking the lead as Sefcik, Burry, sophomore Shayna Harmon (Ashville, Ohio), and freshman Destiny Perkins (Indianapolis, Pa.) each scored at least one of the Zips 11 points.

While each basket fell for the Zips, the Dukes struggled to find the bottom of the net and did not score their first points until the 4:24 mark of the period.

The first half ended with Akron edging Duquesne, 6-4, in the final two and a half minutes which was highlighted by Edmonds nailing a jumper from the elbow with time expiring to give Akron a 30-26 lead at the halftime break.

The Dukes scored six points right out of the gates in the third quarter to tie up the ball game at 30. The Zips immediately countered the Dukes attack with six of the next eight points scored thanks to a pair of jumpers by Edmonds and two free throws from the charity stripe by Perkins to regain the lead, 36-34.

However, back-to-back three-pointers in a matter of 30 seconds, (6:01-5:27) gave the control of the game back to Duquesne with a 38-36 lead and forced Akron to take a timeout.

From that point on, there were two lead changes and the contest was tied twice in the final two minutes of the third stanza, before a lay-up with 43 seconds to play by Duquesne gave the Dukes a 47-45 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Duquesne increased its lead to plus-seven, 53-46, following a 6-1 run in the first two and a half minutes (10:00-7:26).

The Dukes led by as many as 10 points (58-48) with 1:14 to play in the contest, but the Zips would not go away. A 12-4 run which included five points from Edmonds and seven points from Clay brought the game within two, 62-60, with 15 seconds to play, but four free throws by Duquesne put the game away.

The Zips return home to James A. Rhodes Arena on Saturday, Dec. 16, with a contest against Ohio Christian at 4:30 p.m.