Akron Dropped By Ball State, 97-65

Wednesday, January 31

Muncie, IN

7 PM

University of Akron

7-14, 1-9MAC

Ball State University

18-3, 7-3MAC

Akron

Ball State

Photo by: Jeff Harwell

January 31 | Women's Basketball

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MUNCIE, Ind. – The University of Akron women's basketball team met Ball State for the second time this season in hopes to square up the season series, but a strong offensive day by the Cardinals helped defeat the Zips, 97-65, at John E. Worthen Arena on Wednesday night.

The Zips point guard duo of sophomore Shaunay Edmonds (Pittsburgh, Pa.) and freshman Destiny Perkins (Indianapolis, Ind.) scored in double figures to lead the Akron offense. Edmonds went on to score 15 points and dished out six assists, while Perkins contributed 11 points and four assists. Sophomore Haliegh Reinoehl (Westfield, Ind.) added nine points and pulled in a team-high nine rebounds.

As a unit, Akron (7-14, 1-9 MAC) shot 35.9-percent (23-of-64) from the field and 28.6-percent (8-of-28) from distance. At the charity stripe, Akron shot 11-of-16 for 68.8-percent. The Zips opponent, Ball State (18-3, 7-3), shot 46.9-percent (38-of-81) from the floor and matched Akron from beyond the arc, 28.6-percent.

The Zips and Cardinals battled back-and-forth in the opening five minutes of the contest. After Akron jumped out to a 7-5 lead, Ball State rattled off six straight points to claim an 11-9 early lead at the 4:48 mark of the contest.

At the media break in the first quarter (3:06), the Zips trailed 15-11 before the Cardinals scored 11 unanswered points and closed the period on a 13-2 run to extend its lead to 28-13. Sophomore Caitlin Vari (Richfield, Ohio) scored the final six points for Akron inside the paint off a pair of assists from Edmonds and a dish from Perkins.

The Zips gained momentum at the start of the second quarter using a 7-2 run to cut the deficit down to minus-ten (30-20) in favor of the Cardinals. Perkins scored the first five points of the quarter after hitting a pair of free throws and a triple.

Just as Akron seemed to be creating momentum, Ball State would strike back and counter the Zips with nine unanswered points to extend its lead back to plus-19 (39-20) with 5:51 left to play in the first half.

From that point on, the contest went back and forth, but a slight 10-9 scoring advantage earned Ball State a 49-29 halftime lead.

Again, the Zips found an offensive rhythm in the opening minutes of the new period outscoring Ball State, 15-6, in the first six minutes (10:00-3:55) of the third quarter. Edmonds scored six of Akron's first nine points, while senior Lauren Hung (Waterford, Mich.) and Perkins buried triples to end the Zips success. During Akron's run, Ball State shot just 3-for-11 from the field, allowing Akron to cut the deficit to 12 points.

At the 3:44 mark of the period, Ball State started a scoring run that saw the Cardinals grow its lead to 27 points (75-84) following a 19-4 run, which included 16 unanswered points.

In the fourth quarter, Ball State led by as many as 35 (91-56) and the Cardinals lead never fell below 27 en route the victory.

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 a half. The Zips and Broncos will square off from University Arena at 2 p.m.