Akron's Furious Second-Half Comeback Falls Just Short, 65-61, At Toledo

Wednesday, January 15

Toledo, OH

7 PM

University of Akron

8-7,1-3MAC

Toledo

8-7,3-1MAC

Akron

Toledo

Akron's Furious Second-Half Comeback Falls Just Short, 65-61, At Toledo

January 15 | Women's Basketball

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TOLEDO, Ohio– The Akron women's basketball team mounted a furious second-half comeback outscoring Toledo, 42-27 in the second half and 22-13 in the fourth quarter alone, but ultimately fell to Toledo, 65-61, late in Mid-American Conference action at Savage Arena to close out its two-game road trip in northwest Ohio.

At the 3:48 mark in the third quarter, Akron faced a 20-point deficit trailing 47-27. From that point on, the Zips flipped the script, turned up the intensity, and went on a 12-5 run to whittle its deficit down to 13 points heading into the fourth quarter, just as UA did against Bowling Green only four days ago.

Akron's momentum continued to roll into the fourth quarter and it was hard for the Zips to miss as UA outscored UT 17-2, fired off 12 straight points in the matter of just over three minutes (7:45-4:09), and took its first lead of the contest at the 4:10 mark on an and-one lay-up and free throw from senior guard Shayna Harmon (Ashville, Ohio).

However, Toledo answered the Zips offensive charge with seven straight points in the ensuing three and a half minutes while Akron's hot streak cooled off and went 0-for-4 down while turning the ball over twice down the stretch allowing the Rockets to hold on to the lead as the clock hit 0:00.

The play of Akron's forwards was a key component to the Zips second-half success as senior Haliegh Reinoehl (Westfield, Ind.), senior Caitlin Vari (Richfield, Ohio), and junior Jordyn Dawson (Huntington, W. Va.) combined to score 42 of UA's 61 points and grabbed a combined 18 rebounds. Reinoehl turned in her second straight double-double registering game-highs with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Dawson matched Reinoehl's performance scoring 15 points, recorded three rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Vari has now scored in double figures in four straight games and five of the last six after recording 12 points and five rebounds.

Akron's three-point and free-throw shooting came up clutch for the Zips throughout UA's run. Akron shot 6-for-8 from long range and a perfect 8-for-8 from the charity stripe. Reinoehl and senior Alyssa Clay (Indianapolis, Ind.) fueled the air raid as each senior knocked down three triples.

For the game, the Zips shot 43.8-percent (21-for-48) from the floor which included a game-high 57.1-percent from the field in the fourth quarter. Akron ended the contest shooting at a 47.1-percent clip from distance. Over the course of nine minutes spanning the third (3:36) and fourth quarter (4:09), Akron outscored Toledo 28-7.

A sluggish first quarter deterred the Zips from opening fast against Toledo while the Rockets took off in the initial 10 minutes of play. Akron made just three field goals in the first and UT shot 53.8-percent en route to a 20-7 lead at the first quarter break. Helping the Rockets to a plus-13 advantage was a pair of triples, four made free throws, and an 11-4 run where Akron went cold.

Shooting woes continued for the Zips into the second quarter as Akron made just four field goals. Reinoehl scored half of Akron's points in the quarter knocking down a pair of triples while Vari and Edmonds combined for UA's additional six points.

The Rockets turned four Akron turnovers into six points and had success in the paint scoring 10 points in each of the first two quarters.

The Akron women's basketball team returns home to James A. Rhodes Arena on Saturday, Jan. 18, as part of an Akron Basketball doubleheader. The Zips are scheduled to take one Northern Illinois tentatively at 4:30 p.m., or 30 minutes following the conclusion of the Akron men's basketball game against Toledo at 2 p.m.