Reinoehl Scores 1,000 Career Points As Zips Sweep Season Series With Eastern Michigan After 64-53 Win Over The Eagles

Saturday, February 15

Ypsilanti, MI

Noon

University of Akron

11-12 (4-8MAC)

Eastern Michigan

12-12 (7-6MAC)

Akron

Eastern Michigan

Reinoehl Scores 1,000 Career Points As Zips Sweep Season Series With Eastern Michigan After 64-53 Win Over The Eagles

February 15 | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Box Score | Box Score (PDF)

YPSILANTI, Mich. – Courtesy of a big first half lead and lockdown defense in the fourth quarter by the Zips, the Akron women's basketball team defeated Eastern Michigan, 64-53, to complete the regular-season series sweep of the Eagles that was highlighted by senior Haliegh Reinoehl (Westfield, Ind.) scoring her 1,000-career point on Saturday afternoon inside the Convocation Center.

Reinoehl scored her seventh point of the game at the 2:05 mark of the third quarter knocking down a pair of free throws at the charity stripe. While the free throws were routine for the senior forward, the result of the pair carried a huge significance as it marked the exact moment Reinoehl scored her 1,000-career point. The Zips three-year captain became the 19^thplayer in program history to reach the 1K point mark. It is just the fourth time in program history that two Zips accomplished the feat in the same season as Edmonds broke the 1K threshold on Jan. 22. The pair joins Pam Arnold & Dianne Hollish (1987-88), Rachel Tecca & Sina King (2012-13), and Anita Brown & Hannah Plybon (2015-16) in program history.

Eastern Michigan turned a 13-point deficit (37-24) at the halftime break into as little as a one point deficit (45-44) with 2:23 to play in the third quarter before the Zips rattled off seven straight points to take a 51-44 advantage into the final period of play.

In the fourth quarter, the Zips turned up the intensity on the defensive side of the ball holding Eastern Michigan to 2-of-16 shooting and two turnovers. Offensively, sophomore Kendall Miller (Akron, Ohio) took over for Akron in the fourth scoring seven straight points for UA that sparked 13-5 run for the Zips and an eventual 64-53 victory.

Three players scored in double figures to direct the Zips offensively, including senior Shaunay Edmonds (Pittsburgh, Pa.), Reinoehl, and Miller. Edmonds led all Akron players for the second game in a row scoring 15 points while adding two assists, and a steal. En route to her 1,000-career point, Reinoehl scored 13 points on the day and picked up her team-leading seventh double-double grabbing 13 rebounds. Miller scored 10 points with seven coming in the fourth and added three boards.

A balanced offensive and defensive attack for the Zips allowed Akron to control the game in the first half. UA shot 44.1-percent from the floor (15-of-34) including a first half-high 47.1-percent (8-of-17) in the first quarter. On the opposite end of the floor, suffocating defense limited the Eagles offense to just a 24.1-percent clip from the field, a low 14.3-percent from beyond the arc, forced nine turnovers, three steals, and scored six points off of EMU's miscues.

Akron held a 9-7 advantage at the first media break of the game. In the final 4:30 of the quarter, UA went on a 10-4 run to extend its advantage to +8 at the conclusion of the first 10 minutes of play. Four Zips found their name in the point column with Edmonds and Dawson scoring a combined 13 points.

The Zips came out of the gates of the second quarter attacking on the offensive end of the floor in hopes to begin to put the game out of reach. UA succeeded as Akron blitzed the Eagles with an 8-2 scoring run that included back-to-back triples by Edmonds and Miller.

Eastern Michigan used a 7-2 offensive spurt to trim its deficit no single digits (29-20), but four straight points for Akron from Vari and Dawson lifted the Zips lead back to 13-points (33-20).

From that point on, the Zips and Eagles went back and forth in the closing minutes of the half with Akron heading into the locker room with a 37-24 lead in its grasps.

Despite allowing the Eagles back into the game in the third, Akron buckled down in the fourth to pull out its 11^thwin of the season and fourth inside Mid-American Conference play.

With six games remaining in the 2019-20 season, the Akron women's basketball team closes out a two-game road trip at Buffalo. The Zips and Bulls first of two meetings is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 19, at 7 p.m. from inside Alumni Arena.