The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
Duquesne
Akron Hosts Seventh Annual Education Day Against Duquesne
December 03 | Women's Basketball
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Akron vs. Duquesne (PDF)
Akron (4-2) vs. Duquesne (5-2)
Wednesday, Dec. 4
Akron, Ohio  •  James A. Rhodes Arena • 10:30 a.m.
Live Stats:Â GoZips.com
Listen:Â GoZips.com
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What's Ahead
In front of 1,000 screaming fifth-graders from the surrounding Akron area, the Akron women's basketball team is set to host its seventh-annual Education Day on Wednesday, Dec. 4, when the Zips welcome in Duquesne to James A. Rhodes Arena at 10:30 a.m. Fans can hear all the action live on Fox Sports 1350 with Dave Skoczen on the call.Â
Scouting the Dukes
Coming off a five-game win streak, Duquesne enters James A. Rhodes for its match-up against Akron sitting 5-2 seven games into the 2019-20 campaign. The Dukes dropped back-to-back contests against Kent State (75-77) and Temple (72-85) to open the season. Since then, Duquesne has captured five consecutive victories against Manhattan (76-65), Iona (76-74), Lafayette (73-65), Pittsburgh (81-62), and Central Connecticut State (72-33).Â
A trio of Dukes'Â direct the offensive attack averaging double-figures in scoring including Libby Bazelak, Amanda Kalin, and Laia Sole. Bazelak, a junior guard, owns a team-high 13.1 points per game and 1.71 steals per contest (12 total steals). Additionally, Bazelak is averaging 4.3 rebounds and 3.29 assists per match-up and is shooting 18-for-36 (.500) from beyond the arc. Kalin, a junior guard, has recorded team-highs in rebounds (40, 5.7/game) and assists (31, 4.43/game) while scoring 12.6 points per game and connecting on a team-best 29 free throws (43 attempts). Sole, a post player inside for Duquesne, is averaging 11.1 points per contest and shooting an efficient .500 (31-for-62) from the floor while adding 4.7 rebounds per game.Â
In the NCAA, Cleveland State ranks in the top-70 in seven categories including; assists per game (69th), defensive rebounds per game (26th), free throw attempts (44th), free throws made (66th), scoring offense (53rd), three-point FG made (62nd), and three-point FG per game (62nd).
Probable Starters
Duquesne:Â Libby Bazelak, Amanda Kalin, Laia Sole, Paige Cannon, Nina Aho.
Akron: Shaunay Edmonds, Shayna Harmon, Alyssa Clay, Haliegh Reinoehl, Caitlin Vari.Â
Series History
Akron and Duquesne first met on the hardwood in 1984 in Akron, Ohio. Since the inaugural meeting, the Zips and Dukes have duked it out eight times, as Duquesne owns a 7-1 all-time series record against Akron.Â
History Against the A-10
Akron has met six of the 14 current members of the A10 Conference and holds a 7-22 record against the conference including against Dayton (0-9), Duquesne (1-6), George Mason (2-0), St. Bonaventure (0-3), St. Joesph's (0-3), and St. Louis (2-1).
CoachesÂ
Duquesne: Dan Burt roams the sidelines for the Dukes in his seventh season as head coach of the Duquesne women's basketball program. Since joining the Dukes' program, Burt has turned in five 20+win seasons and has won at least 18 games in all seven seasons, including a career-best 28 wins in 2015-16 and an overall record of 138-69.Â
Akron: Melissa Jackson begins her second season at the helm of the Akron women's basketball program. In her debut season, Jackson led the Zips to a 16-15 overall record, a 7-11 MAC ledger, improved by seven wins overall and +4 in conference victories. Jackson's squad became just the eighth team in program history to win at least 16 games in a season. Â
Mid-American Conference Member
The Zips have been a member of the Mid-American Conference for the past 28 years after joining the league in 1992 from the North Star Conference.
With A Win Over Duquesne Akron Would...
- Earn its fifth victory of the 2019-20 season.
- Give the Zips their second program win against the Dukes and first W since 2006.
- Capture a win following a loss for the second time this season.Â
- Improves the Zips home record to 3-1.Â
- Hand head coach Melissa Jackson her 21st career win.Â
- Capture the Zips 473nd program win.
- Record the sixth win when playing on Education Day.
Zips Tidbits
- The 2019-20 season marks the 46th season of competition for the Akron women's basketball program.Â
- Junior Jordyn Dawson and two freshmen, Rachel Martindale and Lonasia Brewer, made their respective collegiate debuts against St. Bonaventure. Martindale played 15 minutes and scored two points while Brewers saw more minutes of action.Â
- Dawson provided a big spark for the Zips in her Akron debut. JD scored 10 points, grabbed five rebounds, and was +25 in +/- when on the court.Â
- Akron picked up its first victory of the season against the St. Bonaventure Bonnies, 63-54. The win marked the sixth time since 2012-13 that Akron captured a win in the season opener.Â
- Shaunay Edmonds recorded the first double-double of her career scoring 20 points and tallying a career-high 10 steals, including 5 steals in the fourth quarter alone.Â
- Haliegh Reineohl posted her team-leading 25th career double-double (12 points, 11 rebounds).Â
- Forward Caitlin Vari eclipsed the 500 career point mark against St. Bonaventure with her 13 point effort.Â
- In the fourth quarter against St. Bonaventure, Akron outscored the Bonnies 20-4 and scored 17 unanswered points in the final six minutes of the game.Â
- The Zips went to the free-throw line 31 times against St. Bonaventure and connected on 25 attempts. Akron fell two made free throws shy of tying the 10th most free throws made in a single-game.Â
- Defensively, UA limited St. Bonaventure to a game-low four points in the quarter as the Bonnies shot 1-for-13, committed seven turnovers, and Edmonds single-handedly ripped five steals.Â
- Jordyn Dawson registered her first career double-double in an Akron uniform against Fort Wayne while Haliegh Reinoehl notched back-to-back double-doubles to start the season.Â
- UA grabbed a season-high 41 team rebounds, including 14 offensive boards. Dawson and Reinoehl accounted for 24 of the Zips rebounds.Â
- Against the Mastodons, UA scored 34 points in the paint, 20 points in the paint, and the Zips contributed 23 points.Â
- The Zips led for 30:40 of the game against Purdue Fort Wayne and led by as many as +11.
- Akron captured two straight wins to begin the season in back-to-back campaigns.Â
- Against Michigan, four Akron players scored in double figures including Haliegh Reinoehl (14), Jordyn Dawson (13), Shayna Harmon (13), Rachel Martindale (12).Â
- Martindale scored a career-high 12 points and knocked down four triples against UM.Â
- As a team, UA shot a season-high 45.9-percent from the floor and 40.7-percent from long range.Â
- The Zips led then No. 24 Michigan for a total of 2:43 and led by as many as four.Â
- UA outscored the Wolverines 22-16 in the second quarter and 24-14 in the third quarter.Â
- Akron earned its third win of the season against YSU as the Zips rolled to a 91-62 victory.Â
- In the 40 minute contest, the Zips led for a season-high 39:18 and led by as many as +34.Â
- From distance, Akron shot a season-best .407 against the Penguins.Â
- In the plus/minus category, all five starters against YSU, Reineohl, Vari, Dawson, Harmon, and Edmonds, were all +25 or high, including a game-high +31 by Vari.Â
- All 12 players who checked into the contest against YSU recorded at least one point.Â
- Freshman guard Molly Neitzel scored the first three points of her career while Gabrielle Brown-Mitchell matched her career-high with 13 points.Â
- Against Detroit, the Zips recorded a season-high 20 assists, including a game- and season-high five by Shaunay Edmonds.
- In the third quarter alone, Edmonds scored or assisted on six of the Zips 10 field goals en route to six points, four assists, and two steals. Haliegh Reinoehl added five points with four rebounds and Shayna Harmon scored five points, two rebounds, and two assists to help lead the Zips to a +11 advantage (25-14). Â
- Akron led for 33 of the 40 minute contest against Cleveland State before a late push by the Vikings earned CSU the win.Â
- The backcourt duo of Haliegh Reineohl and Caitlin Vari scored a combined 30 of the Zips 62 points. Reineohl notched her third double-double (16 pts, 10 reb) and led the Zips in scoring for the fourth time in 2019-20, while Vari scored 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting.Â
- Junior Jordyn Dawson scored seven of her nine points in the fourth quarter against CSU while Shayna Harmon posted a season-high seven rebounds, team-high four assists, made eight free throws, and tallied three steals.Â
- The Zips two best quarters offensively against CSU came in the second and fourth periods where UA shot a combined 13-for-30 and tallied 36 of its 62 total points.
- In two consecutive games, 11 players who checked into the game scored a minimum one point in the contests against YSU and Detroit. A season-high 12 players scored in the Zips win against the Penguins.
- The Zips have had four players score in double figures in three of its six games while a minimum of two Akron players has notched double digits in the scoring column in all six contests and a season-best five Zips tallied double figures against YSU.Â
- The Zips in the NCAA (stats as of 12/3): Fewest turnovers (35th, 84), free-throw percentage (39th, .759), turnovers per game (53rd, 14.0), turnover margin (43rd, 5.50), fewest turnovers (35th, 84), rebound margin (103rd, +4.2), three-point field goals per game (153rd, 6.3), scoring margin (92nd, 9.5), scoring offense (92nd, 72.0), blocked shots per game (79th, 4.0), fewest fouls (61st, 102), steals per game (91st, 9.7),Â
- Zips players in the NCAA (stats as of 12/3): Haliegh Reinoehl - 32nd double-doubles (3), 101st rebounds per game (8.7). Jordyn Dawson - 145th steals per game (2.17). Shaunay Edmonds - 26th steals per game (3.00), 67th steals (18), 101st free throw percentage (.826).
- Team Game-Highs: Points (91, YSU), field goals made (33, YSU), three-pointers (12), free throws made (25, SBU), rebounds (44, YSU), assists (20, Det.), steals (12, SBU, CSU), blocks (7, Det.)
- Individual Game-Highs: Points (20, Edmonds), field goals made (8 Reinoehl), three-pointers (4, Martindale), free throws made (8, Harmon), rebounds (13, Reinoehl), assists (5 Harmon), steals (10, Edmonds).
20+ Wins
Over the course of the past 11 seasons, the Zips have recorded at least two 20+ wins over the opposition. The 2019-20 Akron squad registered 20+ wins in back-to-back games against Youngstown State (91-62) and Detroit (81-6). Only five teams in the past 11 seasons have posted two consecutive 20+win campaigns and the 2013-14 team registered four straight.Â
Home Cooking
Inside the friendly confines of James A. Rhodes Arena, the Zips have seen a lot of success over the course of the past 16 seasons. When playing on its home court, Akron owns a 100-61 record dating back to the 2004-05 campaign.
Up Next
After a short stop at home, the Akron women's basketball team is back on the road and travels to Indianapolis, Ind. on Sunday, Dec. 8. The Zips are slated to take on Big East opponent, Butler, in an afternoon showdown at the Hinkle Fieldhouse with first-tip at 2 p.m.
