Akron Women's Basketball Goes Toe-To-Toe With No. 24 Michigan But Falls 80-71 To Wolverines

Saturday, November 16

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Akron Women's Basketball Goes Toe-To-Toe With No. 24 Michigan But Falls 80-71 To Wolverines

November 16 | Women's Basketball

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AKRON, Ohio– The Akron women's basketball team went toe-to-toe with No. 24 Michigan on day two of the 2019 Akron classic and led the Wolverines down the stretch of the third quarter before UM pulled away in the fourth quarter for an 80-71 decision on Saturday afternoon inside James A. Rhodes Arena.

Senior forward Haliegh Reinoehl (Westfield, Ind.) led Akron in scoring for the second straight contest with 14 points and six rebounds. Junior forward Jordyn Dawson (Huntington, W. Va.) turned in 13 points to go along with a team-high four assists and three steals. Freshman guard Rachel Martindale (Pittsburgh, Pa.) recorded a career afternoon and tallied 12 points on four three-pointers (4-for-6) while sophomore guard Kendall Miller (Akron, Ohio) added nine points.

In the contest, Akron shot a season-best 45.9-percent from the field (28-for-61) and an impressive 40.7-percent from long range (11-for-27). UA recorded 32 points in the paint, eight second-chance points, and the Zips bench played a large role in the contest posting 23 points.

UA used a big third quarter to work its way back into the game and eventually claimed its first lead of the contest. The Zips charged out of intermission with a 7-2 burst highlighted by an acrobatic and-1 layup by senior point guard Shaunay Edmonds (Pittsburgh, Pa.), who lofted the ball toward the basket while absorbing contact from Michigan's Hailey Brown and saw the ball drop through the hoop as she tumbled to the floor. Edmonds calmly sank the free throw to bring her team within four, 43-39.

Moments later, a three-pointer by Reinoehl pulled Akron to within one and a second triple by Reinoehl tied the contest at 47-all midway through the quarter. After the two teams traded big shots over the remainder of the period, the senior forward drilled yet another top-of-the-key triple to give Akron its first lead of the day, 56-55.

The Zips extended the margin to three on a Shayna Harmon (Ashville, Ohio) layup in the final minute of the period, setting the stage for the dramatic fourth quarter.

Despite Akron holding a 61-57 lead over Michigan with 9:05 left in the game, the Wolverines secured the win by outscoring the Zips 25-13 in the decisive fourth quarter.

It was a contest the Zips had to fight their way back into following a slow start that put them in a big hole in the early going.

After falling behind by as many as 15 points at the end of the first quarter, the Zips charged back into the game with a second-quarter blitz that saw them outscore the Wolverines 12-4 in the span of 3:03, capping the run with a pair of fast break three-pointers by Martindale and stout defense that forced two Michigan turnovers during that span. At the tail end of the Akron blitz, the Zips held the visitors scoreless for more than four minutes, allowing themselves to get back into the game.

Behind the strong first-half play of Miller, Harmon, and Martindale, Akron headed into the half down just seven, 41-34, playing its second game in as many days. Shooting from distance played a large part in the Zips hanging with their Big Ten foes, as they sank five three-pointers in the first two periods and held Michigan without a triple through 20 minutes.

Additionally, Akron battled the Wolverines to a near-draw on the boards, with the visitors holding a slim 16-14 rebounding edge in the half as seven different Zips secured a rebound, led by Reinoehl's four.

In the first contest of day two of the Akron Classic, Kent State defeated Purdue Fort Wayne, 75-67.

Akron returns to the court Wednesday night as it hosts Youngstown State at 7 p.m. in a non-conference contest. The game can be seen on ESPN+ and concludes a three-game homestand for the Zips.