Akron Heads To Buffalo For MAC East Match-Up With Bulls

Saturday, February 17

Buffalo, NY

1 PM

University of Akron

University at Buffalo

Akron Heads To Buffalo For MAC East Match-Up With Bulls

February 16 | Women's Basketball

Follow Akron Women's Basketball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram
Follow Coach Kest on Twitter
Purchase 2017-18 Akron Women's Basketball Single-Game Tickets

Akron at Buffalo Game Notes: 2/17/18

Akron (8-16, 1-11 MAC) at Buffalo (20-4, 11-2 MAC)

Saturday, Feb. 17
Alumni Arena
Buffalo, N.Y. • 1:00 p.m.

Live Stats: GoZips.com
Radio: SportsRadio 1350 AM (WARF) in Akron (flagship), for free at SportsRadio1350.com and on iHeartRadio. Bill Morgan will have the call following the conclusion of the Akron men's game at 2 p.m.
Watch: ESPN3

What's Ahead

The Zips head northeast to Buffalo, N.Y., for their second match-up with the Mid-American Conference East-leading Buffalo Bulls on Saturday, Feb. 17. Akron and Buffalo are slated for a 1 p.m. showdown at Alumni Arena. All the action can be seen live on ESPN3.

Scouting The Bulls

The Buffalo Bulls are the top team in the MAC East division with a conference ledger of 11-2 with two and a half weeks left in the regular season. With Akron heading to Buffalo this weekend, the Bulls will look to defend their perfect 9-0 record inside Alumni Arena. The Bulls have not lost a game against a MAC East divisional opponent, while its two losses came from the hands of Northern Illinois (84-86 OT) and Central Michigan (79-86. Buffalo is coming off its fourth straight win, which included downing the then-undefeated CMU (85-82).

Four members of the Bulls starting five are averaging double-digits in the scoring column led by Cierra Dillard (15.1), Cassie Oursler (13.9), Stephanie Reid (11.7), and Summer Hemphill (10.5). While Dillard leads the Bulls in scoring, she also is a stout defender posting a team-high 69 steals (2.9 per game). Oursler and Hemphill, the Bulls presence in the interior, reels in a combined 14.0 rebounds per game and has posted 86 blocks (3.6 per game). Running the floor for Buffalo is standout guard, Reid. To go with her 11.7 points per game, Reid dishes out six assists per contest (144 total), ranking second in the MAC.

As a team, Buffalo thrives on the defensive side of the ball and paces the MAC in field goal percentage defense (.372), three-point field goal percentage defense (.272), rebounding offense (42.7), blocked shots (5.0 per/tilt), steals (12.5/match-up), and the Bulls are second in scoring defense allowing just 65.7 points per game.

Probable Starters

Buffalo: Stephanie Reid, Cierra Dillard, Katherine Ups, Summer Hemphill, Cassie Oursler.

Akron: Shaunay Edmonds, Alyssa Clay, Shayna Harmon, Haliegh Reinoehl, Greta Burry.

Series History

Akron and Buffalo will square off for a 48th time in program history on the hardwood when the Akron travels to Buffalo, N.Y. for the second contest between the two programs this season. Buffalo holds a slim advantage in the all-time series history with a 25-22 record against the Zips, however, the Zips are 6-2 at Alumni Arena in eight contests dating back to 2010.

The Last Meeting

Redshirt junior guard Megan Sefcik (Austintown, Ohio) scored a team-high 14 points, but it wasn't enough as Akron fell 89-66 to Buffalo in 2017-18 Mid-American Conference opener on Dec. 30 at James A. Rhodes Arena.

The Zips were limited to 34.5-percent shooting on the day, including 7-of-23 (30.8 percent) from beyond the arc. Akron, which had hit six or more 3-pointers in all but two games this season entering the contest, was unable to get on track from long distance.

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

Buffalo: Felisha Legette-Jack is amidst her sixth season as the head coach of the Buffalo women's basketball program and has since compiled a 102-72 record with the Bulls. Under Jack, Buffalo has completed four straight winning seasons and 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 178-190 (.484) at Akron and a 403-343 (.542) in her 25 years as a head coach

With A Win Over Buffalo, The Zips Would

Earn their ninth win of the 2017-18 season.
Claim its third MAC win.
Even the season series with Buffalo
Move up to fifth in the MAC east coupled with a Bowling Green loss to Ohio.

2017-18 Zip Breakdown

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 24 games, Edmonds is averaging 11.8 points, a team-high 4.4 assists, and 2.0 steals per game. The Zips' point guard scored a season- and career-best 27 points against Eastern 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 37 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 three more double-double's against SIU Edwardsville (11 pts/10 reb), versus Central Michigan (15 pts/11 reb), and in a win at Eastern Michigan (15 pts/14 reb). The forward is the team's fourth-leading scorer, 7.4 points per game and leads the squad in rebounding with 215 total rebounds, 9.0 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.

Burry, the Zip with the most playing experience on the roster, is the centerfold of the squad. In 344 minutes of play and 14 starts, Burry is averaging 5.0 points and 3.8 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 495 minutes of action and started 10 of the last 11 contests. Vari grabs 5.4 rebounds per contest, including a team second-best 42 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 has started 16 contests and owns the third-most assists on the squad (45). Clay has seen 494 minutes of action through 24 contests, including her first career starts while stepping in for Harmon due to injury. Clay owns the teams second-best shooting percentage from beyond the arc (.381, 40-of-105), which is highlighted by a career night against Bowling Green scoring 22 points and hitting 6-of-8 triples.

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 331 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.

Kest named Burry, Sefcik, and Reinoehl as the 2017-18 season captains.

Up Next

The Zips return to James A. Rhodes for the first time in two weeks, as Akron hosts Miami on Wednesday, Feb. 21, for midweek Mid-American Conference action. First tip is set for 7 p.m.