The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
North Carolina A&T
The 2018-19 Akron Women's Basketball Campaign Tips Off At North Carolina A&T
November 12 | Women's Basketball
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Akron vs. North Carolina A&T Match Notes (PDF)
Akron (0-0) vs. North Carolina A&T (0-1)
Tuesday, Nov. 13
Greensboro, N.C.  •  Ellis F. Corbett Sports Center  • 5:30 p.m.
Live Stats:Â GoZips.com
What's Ahead
Basketball is back. The 2018-19 Akron women's basketball season tips off this week as the Zips travel to Greensboro, N.C., to start a four-game road trip. Akron takes on North Carolina A&T in the season opener on Tuesday, Nov. 13, inside the Ellis F. Corbett Sports Center at 5:30 p.m.Â
Scouting The Aggies
North Carolina A&T, a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, began its 2018-19 season on Nov. 9 and fell to Morehead State, 72-67, to begin the season, 0-1. A year ago, the Aggies finished the 2017-18 season 23-9 overall and a 15-1 ledger in MEAC play. North Carolina A&T swept through the MEAC postseason tournament and took on South Carolina in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and fell to the Gamecocks, 63-52.Â
The Aggies return three of their top four scorers from last year in C'Coriea Foy, Cinia McCray, and Alexus Lessears. In 32 games, Foy paced the NC A&T offense scoring 12.7 points per game on 33.2-percent shooting from the floor, while also tying a team-high 3.0 assists per contest. Defensively, Foy tallied a team-best 76 steals to go along with 15 blocks. McCray ended the season posting 8.8 points per tilt and Lessears scored 8.2 points while reeling in a team-best 9.2 rebounds per game. The trio along with Shantell Bostick all scored in double-figures in the Aggies season opener.Â
As a team, the Aggies are shot 37-percent from the floor and just 27-percent from beyond the arc. Rochester College averaged 44.5 rebounds per game while recording an assist on 14.2 baskets per tilt.Â
Zips Outlook
Under the guidance of Jackson, Akron returns a core group of eight players while welcoming in three freshmen to complete the 2018-19 squad. The Zips senior and junior class made up of Megan Sefcik (Austintown, Ohio), Shaunay Edmonds (Pittsburgh, Pa.), Haliegh Reinoehl (Westfield, Ind.), Caitlin Vari (Revere, Ohio), Shayna Harmon (Ashville, Ohio), and Alyssa Clay (Indianapolis, Ind.) have seen over a combined 6,843 minutes of play and just three games shy of competing in 350 combined contests.Â
As the lone senior on the roster, Sefcik is ready to go out in style and build upon the career year she had in her junior season. The Zips' guard played in 19 games and started 16 contests and led the team in scoring with 11.9 points per game while shooting 34-percent from long range. On the year, Sefcik scored 226 points, shot 36.5 percent from the floor, 85.5 percent from the charity stripe, and grabbed 29 rebounds. The Akron three-point specialist broke the Akron single-game three-point record with 10 triples against Ohio Christian, while also tying the MAC record en route to scoring a career-high 32 points.Â
Edmonds has started all but one game (59-of-60) in her first two seasons as the Zips point guard. The junior has the ability to score the ball efficiently while also controlling the floor, facilitate, make the extra pass, and pace the speed of the offense. In 2017-18, Edmonds averaged 11.2 points, a team-high 4.2 assists, and 1.9 steals per game. The Zips' point guard scored a season- and career-best 27 points against Eastern Michigan, set a new career mark with 10 assists against Kent State, and posted a career-best six steals against Harvard. Edmonds nows ranks eighth all-time in the program history in most assists in a single season (125) and ranks ninth all-time for most assists in a single game (10).Â
Reinoehl has become a staple in the front court dating back to her freshman season making 46 consecutive starts for the Zips. The forward ended the year as the team's leading rebounder with 264 total rebounds (8.8 per contest) and third-leading scorer averaging 7.9 points per game. Reinoehl recorded a career-best game against Southeastern Louisiana (21 pts/11 reb) for her first career double-double and recorded four double-double's in total in 2017-18; SIU Edwardsville (11 pts/10 reb), Central Michigan (15 pts/11 reb), and in a win at Eastern Michigan (15 pts/14 reb). Reinoehl ended the year as the third-best rebounder inside the Mid-American Conference with her 8.8 average while also ranking third in defensive rebounds per contest (6.7). Inside MAC play, Reinoehl was rated the fourth-best rebounder pulling in 8.8 boards per game in 18 contests along with ranking fourth in defensive rebounds (6.7) and 14th in offensive bounds (2.1).Â
Vari, a member of the Zips frontcourt, started 11 contests in 26 games and saw 565 minutes of action down the stretch of the season. Vari grabbed 5.6 rebounds per contest as the team's second-leading rebounder, including a team second-best 49 offensive rebounds. En route to scoring 5.8 points per game, Vari registered a .520 field goal percentage shooting 66-of-127 from the floor, which is the sixth-best field goal percentage in a season in Akron women's basketball program history. Vari reeled in a career-high 16 rebounds against Southeastern Louisiana along with scoring seven points.Â
Clay and Harmon each earned a significant bump in playing time in year two. Harmon started 21 contests and owned the third-most assists on the squad (55). Harmon began the season in the backup point guard role while also in the starting role. On the season, she recorded career-highs in minutes (592), field goals (44), shooting percentage (.346), rebounds (75), blocks (5), and steals (14).Â
Clay saw 595 minutes of action through 30 contests, including her first 11 career starts. Clay owned the team-best shooting percentage from beyond the arc (.355, 46-of-131), which was highlighted by a career night against Bowling Green scoring 22 points and including 6-of-8 triples.
Sophomore Kynnedy Azubike (Columbus, Ohio) returns to the Akron lineup for her second season as a Zip. Azubike scored over 100 points in 2017-18 (115) and averaged 3.8 points per game along with 3.0 rebounds per contest. Against Ball State, Azubike scored a career-best 12 points while also grabbing a career-best seven rebounds in the contest with the Cardinals. The Zips combo guard/forward brought down 90 rebounds on the season and dished out 20 assists.Â
The freshmen trio of Gabrielle Brown-Mitchell (Solon, Ohio), Kendall Miller (Akron, Ohio), and Colleen Neitzel (Rocky River, Ohio) will all look to make an immediate impact on the court for Akron in their first seasons.Â
Jackson named Sefcik, Reinoehl, and Vari as captains for the 2018-19 season.
Series History
Akron and North Carolina A&T are set to square off for the first time on the hardwood in each program's respective history.Â
CoachesÂ
North Carolina A&T: Tarrell Robinson took over the Aggie's women's basketball program in 2012 after spending six seasons as an assistant coach on the staff. Since being named the sixth head coach in program history, Robinson as led North Carolina A&T to five MEAC titles, three MEAC tournament championships, two MEAC Rookies of the Year, and one MEAC Player of the Year.Â
Akron: Melissa Jackson takes over the Akron women's basketball team beginning in 2018-19. Jackson spent the previous 10 seasons on the Zips coaching staff as an assistant coach (four seasons) and as the associate head coach (six seasons). Jackson played a pivotal role in the recent Akron women's basketball success and looks to continue to grow the program.Â
Mid-American Conference Member
The Zips have been a member of the Mid-American Conference for the past 27 years after joining the league in 1992 from the North Star Conference.
With A Win Over North Carolina A&T, Akron Would...
- Earn its first victory of the 2018-19 season.
- Head coach Melissa Jackson would earn her first career victory as head coach.Â
- Win its season opener for the sixth time in the past eight seasons dating back to 2012-13.
- Capture its first win over North Carolina A&T.
Probable Starters
North Carolina A&T:Â Cinia McCray, Shatell Bostick, C'Coriea Foy, Charnise Tyler, and Alexus Lessears
Akron: Shaunay Edmonds, Shayna Harmon, Megan Sefcik, Haliegh Reinoehl, Caitlin Vari.Â
Up Next
Akron returns to Northeast Ohio for games two and three of the 2018-19 season as the Zips take part in the 2018 Kent State Classic hosted by the Golden Flashes at the M.A.C. Center. Akron is slated to compete against Oakland on Saturday, Nov. 17, at 3 p.m., before going head-to-head with Northern Kentucky on Sunday, Nov. 18, at 11 a.m.
