The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
16-14, 7-11MAC
Eastern Michigan
14-16, 6-12MAC
No. 8 Akron's MAC Tournament Run Comes To An End With Heartbreaking, 61-59, Loss To No. 9 Eastern Michigan
March 11 | Women's Basketball
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AKRON, Ohio– In a contest that saw the No. 8 Akron women's basketball team lead for 90-percent of the 40 minute contest (36:22), No. 9 Eastern Michigan's Danille Minott scored the eventual game-winning lay-up with 2.6 seconds to cap off a dramatic Mid-American Conference women's tournament first-round game as the visiting Eagles topped the Zips, 61-59, on Monday evening at James A. Rhodes Arena.
A late 11-0 run by visiting Eastern Michigan put the Eagles back in the game after trailing by eight and set up the nail-biting finale that saw redshirt senior guard Megan Sefcik (Austintown, Ohio) drain her fifth three-pointer of the game with 14 seconds left to tie the game up at 59-all and gave the Zips another chance.Â
The Zips turned a one-point deficit into a seven points lead moments after the final period of play began. It was a pair of clutch 3-pointers from the right wing by Sefcik, playing the final home game of her Akron career, that lit the fuse for an 8-0 Akron run.
It then took a late Akron rally to give the Zips a chance in the final minute. A quick layup by Edmonds and Sefcik's fifth triple of the game kept the Zips alive before ultimately falling in the final seconds. Â
Sefcik played all 40 minutes for the third time this season to lead all scorers and set a postseason career-high with 27 points. Junior forward Haliegh Reinoehl (Westfield, Ind.) notched her sixth double-double of the season with 11 points and 12 rebounds.
Junior guards Shayna Harmon (Ashville, Ohio) and Shaunay Edmonds (Pittsburgh, Pa.) dished out a combined seven assists, including a game-high five for Harmon while Edmonds added nine points.Â
Sefcik, honored before the game for scoring her 1,000th career point in the Zips' regular-season finale, came out blazing, making her first five shots en route to 12 early points as Akron staked itself to a 23-13 lead early in the second quarter.
After the Eagles uncorked a 9-2 to run to close to within three points at 25-22, Akron responded with a 7-0 run midway through the second quarter to push its lead back to 10 and regain momentum approaching intermission.
It was the third tough loss of the season for the Zips (16-14, 7-11 MAC) against the Eagles, to whom they lost twice in the regular season. They kept this one closer thanks to more efficient offense, better shooting, and a defense that limited Eastern Michigan to 24 points on 33.3-percent shooting in the first half and forced nine turnovers the Zips then converted into 10 points of their own.
On offense, Akron frequently outsmarted the Eagles (13-17, 6-12 MAC) with back cuts and on-point bounce passes that led to easy looks around the basket and combined with Sefcik's lethal shooting, it was enough to keep a large lead into the second half.
However, a cold spell shooting the ball and turnovers undercut the Zips in the third quarter, allowing Eastern Michigan to close to within one, 41-40, on a buzzer-beating layup to end the third quarter.
The Eagles retook the lead on their opening possession of the fourth quarter, their first lead since the opening minute of the game, and from there it was a back-and-forth game down the stretch as the eighth and ninth seeds in the MAC tournament battled to extend their seasons. Â
In the end, the Akron Zips run at a Mid-American Conference championship came to a close.Â
The fate of the Zips season now looms in the balance as Akron waits to find out if it will receive of a postseason bid. Stay tuned to GoZips.com for more information on Monday, March 18.Â
