Akron Set to Open New Year at Toledo

Saturday, January 2

Toledo, Ohio

2:00 PM

University of Akron

Toledo

December 31 | Women's Basketball

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GAME NO. 6 - AKRON AT TOLEDO GAME NOTES (1/2)

Akron (3-2, 0-2 MAC) at Toledo (5-1, 1-1 MAC)
Saturday, Jan. 2
Savage Arena Arena
Toledo, Ohio • 2 p.m.

Series History: Toledo leads 44-14
Live Stream: www.GoZips.com (subscription may be required) and ESPN App
Television: www.GoZips.com (subscription may be required) and ESPN App
Live Stats: www.GoZips.com
Radio: 640 WHLO AM (Bill Morgan - pxp)

WHAT'S AHEAD
The University of Akron women's basketball team resumes Mid-American Conference action this Saturday, Jan. 2, as the Zips square off against Toledo. The showdown with the Rockets is set for 2 p.m. at Savage Arena and will be broadcast on ESPN+ as well as 640 WHLO AM with Bill Morgan calling the action.

HEAD COACHES
Toledo: Tricia Cullop (Purdue, 1993), Overall Record: 383-251 (20th Season)/Toledo Record: 26-141 (13th Season)
Akron: Melissa Jackson (Richmond, 2004), Overall/Akron Record: 34-32 (Third Season)

SERIES HISTORY
Akron and Toledo are meeting for the 59th time in program history, with the Rockets owning a 44-14 series edge. Toledo registered a 65-61 home triumph over the Zips on Jan. 15, 2020, before edging Akron, 63-59, in the opening round of the Mid-American Conference Championship on March 9, 2020, at James A. Rhodes Arena.

SCOUTING TOLEDO
Toledo comes into action this Saturday following a 64-49 victory over North Dakota on Monday, Dec. 21. The Rockets have won back-to-back games since dropping a 61-57 decision to Kent State on Dec. 13.

Sophomore G Quinesha Lockett headlines a trio of Toledo players scoring in double figures averaging 19.0 points, and 5.7 rebounds per game. Contributing 17.8 and 10.2 points, respectively, per night is sophomore G Sophia Wiard and freshman G Sammi Mikonowicz. As a team, the Rockets are registering 71.0 points, 37.3 rebounds, 13.3 assists, 9.7 steals and 3.2 blocks per outing.

Toledo is rated 44th in the NCAA in turnover margin (4.33). Individually, Lockett is rated 56th in points per game (19.0).

IN OUR LAST MEETING (MARCH 9, 2020 - AKRON, OHIO)
Playing at home with its season on the line, the eighth-seeded Akron women's basketball team used grit, hustle, toughness and defense to battle the ninth-seeded Toledo Rockets from opening tip to the final buzzer, before falling 63-59 in the opening round of the Mid-American Conference Tournament on March 9, 2020 at James A. Rhodes Arena.

Haliegh Reinoehl led the way with 19 points and eight rebounds for Akron, while Shaunay Edmonds scored 11 points, senior G Jordyn Dawson (Huntington, W. Va.) chipped in 10, junior G Kendall Miller (Akron, Ohio) added nine and Caitlin Vari contributed five points and five rebounds for the Zips.

The fourth quarter proved to be the difference maker in the contest as the Zips saw their offense struggle for the early portion of the frame, allowing Toledo to build a nine-point lead with just under three minutes remaining. Although there was no quit in Akron cutting its deficit down to four, the Rockets were able to make the necessary plays down the stretch to hold on for the win.

Both sides showed evidence of being amped up for the start of the postseason, as turnovers and missed shots plagued the Zips and Rockets in the early going. In the first quarter, the two teams combined for just 20 points on 8-of-30 shooting (26.7 percent), including 2-of-10 marksmanship from three-point range as Toledo missed all six of its triple tries. Fourteen combined turnovers underscored the nerves on both sides.

Akron was finally able to establish something of an offensive rhythm in the second period by limiting itself to three turnovers and getting nine points combined by Miller and Edmonds in the frame to build a lead of as many as eight points, though Toledo chipped it down to six with a buzzer-beating jumper heading to the locker room at halftime. The 23-17 score at the break represented the fewest first-half points Akron has allowed this season.

LAST GAME
Jordyn Dawson led four Zips scoring in double figures with a 15-point, eight-rebound and six-assist performance, but the effort was not enough, as Ball State registered a 67-60 triumph past Akron in Mid-American Conference action on Dec. 20, at James A. Rhodes Arena.

Dawson paced the Zips with 15 points, while redshirt freshman G Emma Tecca (Tallmadge, Ohio) added a career-high 12 point on 4-of-5 shooting from beyond the arc. Sophomore F Lonasia Brewer (Akron, Ohio) and junior G Gabrielle Brown-Mitchell (Solon, Ohio) rounded out Akron's double-figure scoring efforts with 10 points apiece.

Sydney Freeman sparked a trio of Cardinals scoring in double figures with a game-high 19-point game, while Oshlynn Brown and Essence Booker contributed 15 and 14 points, respectively.

The Zips finished the afternoon connecting on 38.5 percent of their shots, including making nine three-pointers, while Ball State rounded out the game shooting 39.7 percent from the floor.

A key deciding factor in the contest was rebounds as the Cardinals garnered a 45-34 overall edge, including a 9-4 margin on the offensive glass, which Ball State converted into a 12-4 edge in second-chance points.

The Cardinals sealed the tilt away at the free-throw line where Ball State was 14-of-22, while Akron went to the charity stripe only twice on the afternoon.

The game saw a frenetic finish as Akron rallied from a nine-point third-quarter deficit to close to within one, 57-56, on a lay-up by Brewer with 8:07 left in the contest.

The Cardinals responding with a 9-2 run over the next 4:33 to assume a 66-58 lead with 3:34 remaining.

The Zips had scoring opportunities down the stretch, but were unable to capitalize, as Akron was held without a point for 4:38 en route to Ball State earning a 67-60 final score.

The first half saw the two teams trade runs and leads as each sought its first MAC win of the season. With seven ties and five lead changes in the first 20 minutes, defense often swung the momentum as the Zips and Cardinals found themselves even or nearly even in a myriad of statistical categories as they entered halftime with Ball State leading Akron, 35-32.

Akron benefited from the boost provided off the bench by Tecca and fellow reserve sophomore G Rachel Martindale (Pittsburgh, Pa.), who each drained a key three-pointers during the second stanza.

The duo helped pace the Akron attack to five triples before intermission.

Ball State attempted to turn the tide in its favor with full-court pressure, but the Zips were able to withstand the pressure, tying the contest on a jumper from junior G Kendall Miller (Akron, Ohio) with 43 seconds left in the second quarter.

ZIP TIDBITS
• Jordyn Dawson enters play against Toledo needing 11 points to reach the 500-point plateau for her Akron career. Dawson has recorded 489 points, 254 rebounds and 92 career assists as a Zip.
• Emma Tecca has made 75 percent of her three-pointers for her career having connected on 9-of-12 attempts from beyond the arc this season, the second-best percentage in the NCAA.
• Akron owns a 24-13 mark under head coach Melissa Jackson when shooting 40 percent or better from the field, including a 3-1 record this season. When hitting at a 35-percent clip or better from beyond the arc, the Zips maintain a 19-12 mark, including a 3-0 ledger this season.
• As a team, Akron is rated 22nd in the NCAA in three pointers per contest (9.2), 32nd in assist/turnover ratio (1.24), 35th in three-point percentage (.374) and 37th in turnovers per game (13.4).
• Jordyn Dawson is rated 13th in the NCAA in defensive rebounding (8.4) and 41st in scoring (19.8), while Colleen Neitzel is 13th in three-point percentage (.556).
• Seven different Akron players have scored in double figures this season led by Jordyn Dawson and Lonasia Brewer tallying 10 or more points in each of the Zips' five contests this year. The duo is joined by Colleen Neitzel (2), Gabrielle Brown-Mitchell (1), Rachel Martindale (1), Molly Neitzel (1) and Emma Tecca (1).
• Lonasia Brewer has connected on 27 of her 48 shots this season for 56.3 percent shooting mark, second-best in the Mid-American Conference.
• Kendall Miller leads the Zips in assist/turnover ratio this season at 2.8 having dished out a team-best 14 assists against only five turnovers.
• Jordyn Dawson is averaging a league-best 8.4 defensive rebounds as part of a team-high 9.0 overall rebounds this season. Her 9.0 caroms per game is rated fourth in the MAC.
• The Zips pace the MAC in assists (16.60) and defensive rebounding (29.2), while ranking second assist/turnover ratio (1.24), field goal percentage (.437) and three-point percentage (.374).

ZIPS IN THE CLASSROOM
Academic success has been a staple for the Zips under head coach Melissa Jackson. Akron has posted a cumulative team GPA's of 3.0 or better in each of the first five semesters under Jackson, including registering cumulative marks of 3.141 and 3.233 during the 2018-19 and 2019-20 campaigns, respectively. The number improved to 3.338 following Akron earning a 3.372 team GPA for the Fall 2020 Semester. A year ago, the Zips registered a 3.23 team GPA for the fall 2019 term, with Alyssa Clay, Shayna Harmon, Kendall Miller and Caitlin Vari garnering Academic All-MAC accolades. With the conclusion of the spring semester, the Zips turned in a 3.59 team GPA. Overall, the Zips maintain a 3.338 cumulative team GPA.

UP NEXT
Akron is scheduled to continue its league slate traveling to Central Michigan for a 7 p.m. tilt on Wednesday, Jan. 6. The game will be broadcast on the Akron Radio Network 640 WHLO AM with Bill Morgan calling the action.