The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
Ball State University
Akron and Ball State Set To Meet For Second Time On Wednesday
January 30 | Women's Basketball
Follow Akron Women's Basketball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram
Follow Coach Kest on Twitter
Purchase 2017 Akron Women's Basketball Season Tickets
Akron at Ball State Game Notes: 1/31/18
Akron (7-13, 1-8 MAC) at Ball State (17-3, 6-3 MAC)
Wednesday, Jan. 31
John E Worthern Arena
Muncie, Ind. • 7:00 p.m.
Live Stats:Â GoZips.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.
Watch:Â ESPN3
Â
What's Ahead
The Zips hit the road for a two-game road trip starting in Muncie, Ind., when Akron takes on Ball State for the second time this season on Wednesday, Jan. 31. The Zips and Cardinals are scheduled to square off inside John E. Worthern Arena at 7 p.m. Tune in to 1350 AM (WARF) to hear Bill Morgan call all the action.Â
Scouting The Cardinals
The high powered Ball State squad stands 17-3 heading into its second match-up with the Zips on Wednesday and are riding a three-game win streak. The Cardinals completed the non-conference portion of their schedule unblemished going a perfect 11-0, including big wins over Vanderbilt (88-79), Butler (87-75), and Purdue (66-60). After the first half of the season, Ball State suffered its first loss in the conference opener to Central Michigan (65-69), before winning three in a row. The Cardinals then fell in back-to-back games against Buffalo (80-84) at home and at Toledo (66-72), but have since picked their winning ways back up winning three straight.
The Ball State starting five are averaging double-figures in scoring through 20 games including, Moriah Monaco (17.5), Destiny Washington (12.9), Carmen Grande (12.4), Jasmin Samz (11.0), and Frannie Frazier (10.2). Monaco, the team's leading scorer has scored 350 points, shooting .412 from the field and .367 from distance, while also averaging 5.9 rebounds. While Grande is the Cardinals third-leading scorer, the Ball State guard has posted a team-high 195 assists (9.8 per game), which ranks first in the MAC and second in the nation.
In the conference, Ball State ranks first in scoring defense (64.3), scoring margin ( 17.2), field goal percentage defense (.370), rebounding offense (42.2), blocked shot (5.5), assists (19.9), and assist/turnover ratio (1.3). Four of the Cardinals top scorers rank in the top 30 scorers in the MAC, while Grande leads the league in assists and assist/turnover ratio (2.8),Â
Probable Starters
Ball State: Moriah Monaco, Destiny Washington, Carmen Grande, Jasmin Samz, Frannie Frazier
Akron: Shaunay Edmonds, Alyssa Clay, Kynnedy Azubike, Haliegh Reinoehl, Caitlin Vari.Â
Series History
Ball State and Akron are set to meet for the 39th time in program history and for the second time in the 2017-18 season. The Cardinals visited the Zips in Akron, Ohio on Jan. 10 for the fourth game of the Mid-American Conference season. In 38 games, Ball State holds the advantage in the all-time series with a 22-16 record against the Zips.
The Last Meeting
The University of Akron women's basketball team trailed Ball State by just one point (34-35) at halftime, before the Cardinals took control of the second half to pull away from the Zips, dropping a 74-61 decision to visiting Ball State in Mid-American Conference play at James A. Rhodes Arena on Jan. 10.
Freshman forward Kynnedy Azubike (Columbus, Ohio) tallied a career-high 12 points to pace the Zips (6-9, 0-4 MAC), while freshman Destiny Perkins (Indianapolis, Ind.) scored a then-career-high 11 points with a career-best six rebounds, and went 4-of-6 from the free throw line. All nine active players for the Zips registered at least one point in the contest and seven of those players attempted between five and 10 field goals. The bench was a big factor in Akron's success against the Cardinals outscoring Ball State's reserves, 30-9.
Mid-American Conference Member
The Zips have been a member of the Mid-American Conference for the past 26 years after joining the league in 1992 from the North Star Conference
Coaches Â
Ball State: Brady Salle is in his sixth season at the helm of the Cardinal's women's basketball program. Salle has led Ball State to five straight WNIT appearances in all five years during his time with the Cardinals. Salle became just the second coach in Ball State history to lead the Cardinals to back-to-back 20 win seasons.
Akron: Jodi Kest, the all-time winningest coach in program history, is in her 12th-season in charge of the Zips program. The longest-tenured coach in the Mid-American Conference holds an all-time record of 176-186 (.486) at Akron and a 402-339 (.543) in her 25 years as a head coach
With a win over Ball State, the Zips would
- Earn their eighth win of the 2017-18 season.
- Claim its second MAC win.Â
- Split the season series with the Cardinals.Â
2017-18 Zip BreakdownÂ
Under the guidance of Kest, the Zips have 13 young and talented players eager to make an impact in 2017-18 highlighted by returning starters, sophomore guard Shaunay Edmonds (Pittsburgh, Pa.), sophomore forward Haliegh Reinoehl (Westfield, Ind.), and sophomore forward Caitlin Vari (Revere, Ohio), along with the veteran presence of senior forward Greta Burry (Lakewood, Ohio), senior guard Lauren Hung (Waterford, Mich.), and redshirt junior guard Megan Sefcik (Austintown, Ohio).
Edmonds has taken on the role as the team's facilitator and floor general, while also having the ability to score the ball. Through 20 games, Edmonds is averaging 11.1 points, a team-high 4.5 assists, and 2.1 steals per game. The Zips' point guard scored a season-best 21 points against Central Michigan, set a new career mark with nine assists against Kent State, and posted a career-best six steals against Harvard.
Reinoehl has become a staple in the Zips starting five since midway through her freshman season, starting the last 33 contests dating back to last year for Akron. Reinoehl recorded a career-best game against Southeastern Louisiana (21 pts/11 reb) and has since recorded two more double-double's against SIU Edwardsville (11 pts/10 reb) and versus Central Michigan (15 pts/11 reb). The forward is the team's third-leading scorer, 7.1 points per game and leads the squad in rebounding with 177 total rebounds, 8.9 per contest.
Sefcik is having a career year in her junior season en route to leading the team in scoring with 13.4 points per game while making 3.4 triples per contest. The Zips' guard broke the Akron single-game three-point record with 10 triples against Ohio Christian, while also tying the MAC record.Â
Burry, the Zip with the most playing experience on the roster, is the centerfold of the squad. In 279 minutes of play and 13 starts, Burry is averaging 5.5 points and 4.0 rebounds per tilt. Burry grabbed a season-high 10 rebounds against SLU and scored a season-best 14 points against EKU.
Vari, a member of the Zips frontcourt, has seen 425 minutes of action and started the last six of seven contests. Vari grabs 5.4 rebounds per contest, including a team second-best 39 offensive rebounds. In addition to the rebounding, Vari averages 6.2 points per contest.
Sophomores Alyssa Clay (Indianapolis, Ind.) and Shayna Harmon (Ashville, Ohio) have seen a significant bump in playing time in year two. Harmon started 14 contests and owns the third-most assists on the squad (39). Clay has seen 377 minutes of action through 20 contests, including her first career starts while stepping up for Harmon due to injury. Clay owns the teams best shooting percentage from beyond the arc (.432, 32-of-74), which is highlighted by a career night against Bowling Green scoring 22 points and hitting 6-of-8 triples.Â
Freshmen Kynnedy Azubike (Columbus, Ohio), Sarah Leyendecker (Lawrenceburg, Ind.) and Destiny Perkins (Indianapolis, Ind.) made their collegiate debuts for the Zips three games into the season and have combined to score 260 points. Perkins has taken over the backup point guard role and had a career-night against Miami scoring a career-high 21 points and career-best 5 steals against the RedHawks.Â
Kest named Burry, Sefcik, and Reinoehl as the 2017-18 season captains.
Up Next
The Zips road trip continues in Kalamazoo, Mich. on Saturday, Feb. 3, when Akron visits Western Michigan for the second match-up between the two programs in a week and half. The Zips and Broncos will square off from University Arena at 2 p.m.
