Akron Women's Basketball Back In Action At Kent State Classic

Saturday, November 17

Kent, Ohio

3 PM

University of Akron

Oakland

Akron Women's Basketball Back In Action At Kent State Classic

November 16 | Women's Basketball

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2018 Kent State Classic

Akron vs. Oakland Game Notes (PDF)

Akron (1-0) vs. Oakland (1-2)
Saturday, Nov. 17
Kent, Ohio • M.A.C. Center • 3 p.m.
Live Stats: GoZips.com
Watch: GoZips.com

Akron (1-0) vs. Northern Kentucky (1-0)
Sunday, Nov. 18
Kent, Ohio • M.A.C. Center • 11 a.m.
Live Stats: GoZips.com
Watch: GoZips.com

What's Ahead
The Zips return to Northeast Ohio for a pair of contests this upcoming weekend in Kent, Ohio, as the Akron women's basketball team takes part in the Kent State Classic. Akron is scheduled to go head-to-head against Oakland on Saturday, Nov. 17, at 3 p.m., before a match-up with Northern Kentucky awaits the Zips on Sunday, Nov. 18. All games will be played inside the M.A.C. Center on the campus of Kent State.

Scouting the Golden Grizzlies
Three games into the 2018-19 season, Oakland stands 1-3 after a season-opening win over Grace Christian (94-48), and most recently dropping its last two to Central Michigan (104-61) and Indiana (59-32). A year ago, the Golden Grizzlies ended the season 15-16 overall and made an appearance in the Horizon League Tournament.

The dynamic duo of Taylor Jones and Kahlaijah Dean lead the offensive charge for Oakland scoring in double-figures. Jones owns a team-best 19.7 points per game and 4.0 assists per contest, while is also tied as the top rebounder with 5.7 rebounds per match. Dean, is turning in 12.0 points per contest in 44 minutes of action. The trio of Chloe Guingrich, Myka Cromwell, and LaKyesha Stennis have scored a combined 58 points on the year to round off the top scorers for Oakland.

As a team, the Golden Grizzlies are averaging 62.3 points per contest (187 total) and are shooting 33-percent from the floor. Oakland has struggled from long range early on connecting on just 24.4-percent from beyond the arc.

Probable Starters
Oakland:Taylor Jones, Kahlaijah Dean, Chloe Guingrich, Victoria Oglesby, Teneea Heston.

Akron: Shaunay Edmonds, Shayna Harmon, Megan Sefcik, Haliegh Reinoehl, Caitlin Vari.

Series History
Akron and Oakland are slated for its fourth meeting on the hardwood at the Kent State Classic. In its three previous contests, the Golden Grizzlies have defeated the Zips in all three contests. However, the two programs are meeting for the first time since 2004.

Coaches
Oakland: Jeff Tungate is currently in his sixth season at the helm of the Golden Grizzlies program since taking over prior to the 2013-14 season. In his career, Tungate has compiled a 64-80 overall record.

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.

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 Oakland, Akron Would...

Earn its second victory of the 2018-19 season.
Give the Zips back-to-back wins to start the season since 2014-15.
Win its first contest against Oakland in program history.

First For Everything
As the saying goes, the first win is always the hardest. However, head coach Melissa Jackson wasted no time proving that point wrong. In her head coaching debut against North Carolina A&T, coach Jackson earned her first victory as head coach of the Zips program.

Welcome to Akron
In the first contest of the 2018-19 season, the freshman trio of Gabrielle Brown-Mitchell, Kendall Miller, and Colleen Neitzel all made their collegiate debuts for the Zips against the Aggies. Brown-Mitchell went on to score seven points in the contest and grabbed a team-best six rebounds, while Neitzel scored the first five points of her career and reeled in a pair of rebounds.

Flipping The Script
Just one year ago, the Zips roster consisted of the second-youngest team in the Mid-American Conference with just under 5,000 minutes played combined between the 13 players on the roster. Heading into the 2018-19 season, the Zips are now one of the most seasoned teams inside the MAC. With its lone senior, Megan Sefcik, and its junior class made up of Alyssa Clay, Shaunay Edmonds, Shayna Harmon, Haliegh Reinoehl, and Caitlin Vari, the Zips return a veteran presence that is destined to make an impact on the court.

Recruit Local
The Zips welcome in three freshmen for the 2018-19 season that all have ties to the Northeast Ohio region. Guard Kendall Miller hails from very local Akron, Ohio and competed for the St. Mary's-St. Vincent Fighting Irish that is 1.8 miles away from the University of Akron campus. A native of Solon, Ohio, 36 miles north of Akron, is guard Gabrielle Brown-Mitchell. Along the shores of Lake Erie and an hour from Akron is the city of Rocky River in which forward Colleen Neitzel calls home.

The Jackson Show
After spending 10 seasons on the Akron women's basketball coaching staff, including four as an assistant coach and six as the associate head coach and recruiting coordinator, Melissa Jackson takes control of the Akron women's basketball program after being named the 10th head coach in program history in June of 2018.

500 Point Club and Counting
In 2017-18, Shaunay Edmonds and Megan Sefcik both joined the 500 point club in their respective careers and have their sights set on 600 and plus. Edmonds scored a career-high 27 points in Akron's 77-65 win at Eastern Michigan. At the 5:16 mark of the second quarter, Edmonds nailed a three-pointer to eclipse the 500 point mark. Sefcik later joined her teammate in the club after scoring seven points against Kent State (2/24) to push her past the 500 point milestone.

Zips Tidbits

Brown-Mitchell, Miller, and Neitzel each made their collegiate debut against North Carolina A&T (11/13).
Coach Jackson earned her first career victory with a 49-36 win over North Carolina A&T.
The starting five of Shaunay Edmonds, Shayna Harmon, Megan Sefcik, Haliegh Reinoehl, and Caitlin Vari made their fourth start together as a group dating back to last season.
Brown-Mitchell began her Akron career scoring 7 points and pulling down 6 rebounds.
Dating back to 2017-18, Sefcik has scored in double-figures in 12 of her last 16 games played in.
Sefcik fell one point shy of tying her career-high in scoring in a season opener with her 18 points after scoring 19 last year.
All 10 active players on the roster saw time on the court against the Aggies and six of the 10 recorded at least one point.
Akron outscored N.C. A&T 17-3 in the third quarter, including 10 points from Sefcik, and 27-12 in the second half to pull away with the game.

Jackson Announces First Recruiting Class As Head Coach
The Akron women's basketball team and first-year head coach Melissa Jackson announced the signing of five student-athletes to National Letters of Intent that will join the Zips program in 2019-20.

"I am very excited to officially welcome these five outstanding student-athletes into our Akron family. This class is very special," said Jackson. "All five are very talented, but also really believe in our vision and culture of Akron basketball. They bring a lot of versatility, length, and skill to our team. They all come from well-coached winning programs and are committed to excellence in all that they do."

Jackson's recruiting philosophy is simple, keep the local talent at home, and she accomplished that with her first class leading the program. Joining the Akron squad next season from the Ohio area is Lonasia Brewer (Akron, Ohio), Layne Ferrell (Franklin, Ohio), Molly Neitzel (Rocky River, Ohio), and Emma Tecca (Tallmadge, Ohio) while making the move from Pittsburgh, Pa., is Rachel Martindale.

Up Next
The Zips square off against Northern Kentucky on Sunday, Nov. 18, at 11 a.m. for game two of the Kent State Classic at the M.A.C. Center.