Akron Takes Down MAC East Leader Ohio, 79-76

Saturday, February 22

Akron, OH

1 PM

University of Akron

13-12,6-8MAC

Ohio

17-8,10-4MAC

Ohio

Akron

February 22 | Women's Basketball

Box Score

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AKRON, Ohio– Facing the top team in the Mid-American Conference East Division, the Akron women's basektball team didn't back down from the fight

In an intense, high-stakes contest, the Zips (13-12, 6-8 MAC) claimed a huge 79-76 win over the Ohio Bobcats in a Saturday afternoon contest at James A. Rhodes Arena that doubled as Akron For Nakon game, raising support for cancer research and awareness.

Junior forward Jordyn Dawson (Huntington, W. Va.) led Akron with 20 points and added a career-high 14 rebounds to notch her sixth double-double. Senior guard Alyssa Clay (Indianapolis, Ind.) was close behind with 18 for the Zips and made 5-of-6 from 3-point range. In two contests against the Bobcats, Clay has scored 36 points and shot 10-for-17 from long range. Senior forward Haliegh Reinoehl (Westfield, Ind.) (14 points), senior guard Shayna Harmon (Ashville, Ohio) (10 points) and senior guard Shaunay Edmonds (Pittsburgh, Pa.) (10 points) all also reached double figures. It was the third time this season that Akron had five players score in double figures in a single game.

Akron held on down the stretch against the MAC East leaders at the foul line, scoring their final four points at the line to close out the contest. The first two came in separate trips to the foul line by Dawson, including the second one, which came after a charging foul initially called against her was changed to a blocking foul on the Bobcats (17-8, 10-4 MAC) following a video review by the officials.

Dawson converted one of two free throws to stake her team to a 77-76 lead and Edmonds provided the final margin with two more charity tosses with 4.4 seconds remaining. A long 3-point attempt from Ohio redshirt sophomore guard Erica Johnson in the closing seconds was off the mark and Akron secured the rebound to ice the win.

One of the key plays in the latter stages of the game was a second-chance three-pointer by Dawson that gave Akron a brief lead, 68-67, before the teams began trading baskets down the stretch. The play was emblematic of the grit Akron showed all afternoon long, as sophomore forward Colleen Neitzel (Rocky River, Ohio) hauled in a missed shot to set Dawson up for her clutch shot.

On the afternoon, Akron outrebounded Oho 49-33, keeping the potent offense for the Bobcats from getting many second chances. Reinoehl and Dawson each garnered double figure rebounds numbers while Neitzel was clutch on the glass in key moments hauling in nine boards, including two offensive rebounds. The other key factor was bench scoring, a category in which the Zips led 23-0.

The final three quarters were back and forth after a difficult first quarter in which Ohio's Hooks was able to find success driving to the basket and tallied 14 points. The tide changed in the second period as the Zips settled in defensively and used that improved play to fuel a 15-0 run that included two long-distance, high-arcing three-point bombs by Clay.

The run turned a 25-15 Ohio lead at the end of the first quarter into a 30-25 edge for Akron, shifting the momentum in favor of the home team in a span of 4:53. It was unquestionably the duo of Clay and Harmon who spearheaded the charge for the Zips, combining for 13 points in the second stanza and 22 in the half.

Clay fired away from beyond the arc, draining two triples during her team's big run. Harmon scored on a combination of drives to the hoop and jump shots.

Akron makes the short trip east to Kent State for its next game, taking on the rival Golden Flashes at 7 p.m. on Feb. 26. The second rendition of the Crystal Clinic Orthopaedic Center Wagon Wheel Challenge can be seen on ESPN+.