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Bowling Green
Zips Host Bowling Green In Key Match-Up On Senior Day To Close Out The Regular-Season Finale
March 06 | Women's Basketball
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Akron (14-14, 7-10 MAC) vs. Bowling Green (10-19, 3-14 MAC)
Saturday, March 7
Akron, Ohio • James A. Rhodes Arena • 2:00 p.m.
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What's Ahead
Down to the final contest of the 2019-20 regular-season, the Akron women's basketball team hosts MAC East foe, Bowling Green on Saturday, March 7. The game between the Zips and Falcons is a must win for UA in its hopes to host a MAC Tournament First Round contest at James A. Rhodes Arena. Prior to the start of the contest, the Zips will honor its five seniors on Senior Day. All the action can be seen live on ESPN+ or heard on Fox Sports 1350 AM.Â
Scouting the Falcons
Heading into the final contest of the 2019-20 regular-season, Bowling Green currently sits 12th in the Mid-American Conference at 3-14 inside league play while garnering a 10-19 overall record. The Falcons have won two of its last three games against Ohio (82-68) and Miami (82-69). After dropping its first five conference contests to EMU (61-78), Ball State (80-86), Akron (73-76), Buffalo (59-65), and Toledo (72-79), the Falcons picked up its first win of the league year against Western Michigan (72-63).Â
The Bowling Green offense, which ranks third in the MAC in scoring offense (72.9) and shooting percentage (.450), has three starters scoring in double figures to pace the Falcons attack. Caterrion Thompson, a senior guard, is scoring a team-high 14.2 points per game and dished out 57 assists, but owns 61 turnovers, third-most in the BG lineup. Madisen Parker, the Falcons top sharp shooter is shooting at a .467 clip from long range, has knocked down 91 triples, and scored 11.8 points per game. Angela Perry, a back-court threat for BG, shoots at an efficient .575 clip from the floor, averages 14.1 points per contest, and grabs 4.7 rebounds per game. The Falcons leader in assists (145) and rebounds (7.5/game) is sophomore Kadie Hempfling who is also scoring 9.1 points a game.
In the NCAA, the Falcons rank in the top-50 in nine statistical categories, assists (28th), assists per game (25th), defensive rebounds per game (20th), field goal percentage (23rd), scoring offense, three-point field goals made (16th), three-point field goals per game (18th), and three-point field goal percentage (10th),Â
Probable Starters
BGSU: Caterrion Thompson, Madisen Parker, Angela Perry, Kadie Hempfling, Mari Hill.Â
Akron: Shaunay Edmonds, Kendall Miller, Jordyn Dawson, Haliegh Reinoehl, Caitlin Vari.Â
Series History
In the all-time series between Akron and Bowling Green, the Falcons have seen a lot of success against the Zips since 1979. BG holds a 54-10 overall record against UA, however, the Zips have won the past two encounters between the two sides and is 7-3 in the last 10 match-ups dating back to 2015.Â
Last Time Out
In exciting fashion, the Akron women's basketball team scored 14 unanswered points in the final 2:29 of the fourth quarter and completed a 76-73, come-from-behind victory, over Bowling Green to secure its first Mid-American Conference 'W' on the road inside the Stroh Center on Saturday afternoon.Â
After a battle against the Falcons for the first 37 minutes of the game that saw six lead changes and four ties, the Zips stared down an 11-point deficit (73-62) with 2:42 left to play. At the 2:29 mark, senior Caitlin Vari (Richfield, Ohio) drove the lane, laid the ball into the basket, drew a foul, and knocked down a free throw to complete a three-point play. At the time, it was a big play, but it also marked the beginning of a miraculous and gritty comeback by the Zips.Â
En route to the victory, Vari completed her second three-point play (68-73, -5), senior Haliegh Reinoehl (Westfield, Ind.) knocked down a free throw (69-73, -4), senior Shayna Harmon (Ashville, Ohio) splashed a triple in the corner (72-73, -1), senior Shaunay Edmonds (Pittsburgh, Pa.) picked the pocket of a BG guard and went coast-to-coast with a lay-up for the lead (74-73, +1), and Harmon iced the game with a pair of free throws (76-73, +3).Â
While the Zips offense took off, Akron's defense locked down the Falcons on the other end of the court. During the Zips scoring outburst, Bowling Green went 0-for-3, turned the ball over twice, and committed three fouls sending UA to the line.Â
In the fourth quarter alone, Akron outscored BGSU, 27-17, shot a game-high 55.6-percent from the floor, 5-for-6 from the charity stripe, scored 16 points in the paint, 10 points off turnovers, eight second-chance points, and seven fastbreak points.Â
CoachesÂ
Bowling Green: Robyn Fralick, is in her second year at the helm of the Bowling Green women's basketball program. In her first two seasons, Fralick has led the Falcons to a 19-39 overall mark but owns a 123-42 ledger as a head coach after leading the Ashland University program.Â
Akron: Melissa Jackson begins her second season at the helm of the Akron women's basketball program. In her debut season, Jackson led the Zips to a 16-15 overall record, a 7-11 MAC ledger, improved by seven wins overall and +4 in conference victories. Jackson's squad became just the eighth team in program history to win at least 16 games in a season. Â
Mid-American Conference Member
The Zips have been a member of the Mid-American Conference for the past 28 years after joining the league in 1992 from the North Star Conference.
With A Win Over Bowling Green, Akron Would...
- Earn its 15th win of the 2019-20 season.
- Improve to 15-14 on the season and 8-10 in the MAC.
- End the 2019-20 regular-season with a winning record (.517).
- Improves the Zips home record to 7-7.
- Hand head coach Melissa Jackson her 31st career win.
- Capture the 483rd win in program history.
- Move to 6-4 in MAC East play.Â
- Sweep the season series with the Falcons for the second straight season
- Give Akron a chance at hosting a MAC Tournament First Round game.Â
Scouting The Zips
Under the direction of second-year head coach, Melissa Jackson, the Akron women's basketball team recorded a 7-4 non-conference record to begin the first half of the 2019-20 campaign and tallied a 14-14 overall record. Since Jackson took over ahead of 2018-19, the Zips are 30-29.Â
Akron's roster is made up of 14 student-athletes including a core senior class of Alyssa Clay (Indianapolis, Ind.), Shaunay Edmonds (Pittsburgh, Pa.), Shayna Harmon (Ashville, Ohio), Haliegh Reinoehl (Westfield, Ind.), and Caitlin Vari (Richfield, Ohio) who are key contributors for the Zips
Making an impact on the court for the Zips along with the five seniors is junior Jordyn Dawson (Huntington, W. Va.), sophomore Kendall Miller (Akron, Ohio), freshman Rachel Martindale (Pittsburgh, Pa.), and freshman Lonasia Brewer (Akron, Ohio).Â
The most experienced group inside the 12 Mid-American Conference teams, the Akron senior class is playing a large role in the Zips on-court success. Senior captain Haliegh Reinoehl (Westfield, Ind.) is averaging a team-best 14.9 points, 8.0 rebounds per game, and 68 offensive rebounds. Running the backcourt for the Zips is Edmonds who is averaging 9.8 points 2.5 assists, and 1.6 steals per match-up, along with Harmon who is scoring 6.8 points per contest 29.2 minutes of action. Co-captain, Vari, has made her mark Akron's front-court averaging 6.4 points per game and 6.0 rebounds per outing.Â
Dawson, in her first season with Akron, earned a starting spot three games into the campaign and has since averaged 13.6 points and 7.4 rebounds per game, is shooting 43.3-percent from the floor, and a team-best 50 steals and 70 assists. In the Zips previous five games, Dawson has averaged nearly a double-double (16.8 points, 9.8 rebounds) helping the Zips to a 4-1 record.Â
In her second season, Miller has played a large role off the bench for Akron. Averaging 18.9 minutes per game, the Zips guard scores 4.2 points. Clay, whose role turned into a reserve position, averages 5.3 points per game and is shooting 32-for-90 from long distance.Â
If The MAC Tournament Started Today
One game stands between the Akron women's basketball game and the 2020 Mid-American Conference Tournament. If the league postseason tournament started prior to the Zips contest against Bowling Green, Akron would be on the road for the first round of the tournament at Toledo
However, the regular-season finale against the Falcons is a must win for the Zips in hopes to host a first round tournament. Akron can finish the 2019-20 season as low as the 8th seed or as high as the 10th seed. If UA is to host a game, the Zips would square off against Northern Illinois at 7 p.m. at James A. Rhodes Arena. If Akron is on the road, UA could be traveling to one of three locations, Buffalo, Eastern Michigan, or Toledo based on the results of the final day of competition.Â
#MACtion
Inside 16 Mid-American Conference contests, five Zips have totaled over 100 points including Haliegh Reinoehl (261), Jordyn Dawson (232), and Shaunay Edmonds (169), Caitlin Vari (105), and Alyssa Clay (10). Reinoehl averages team-highs in scoring (15.4 ppg) and rebounds (8.6 rpg), including 36 offensive rebounds. Dawson, in her first season competing in the MAC, averages 14.4 points per game, 7.8 rebounds per contest, 45 assists, and 26 steals. The duo of Reinohel and Dawson are shooting an efficient 173-413 (41.8-percent) from the floor. Edmonds is posting 9.9 points per game to go along with 46 assists and 22 steals.Â
Jackson's Success
Since taking over the Akron women's basketball program in July of 2018, head coach Melissa Jackson has elevated the Zips back to its winning ways and has started building a culture of success on and off the court for UA.Â
In just her first season at the helm of the program, Jackson became just the second Akron coach to win the first three games of their respective debut season, is the first Zips coach to win their first three games as head coach in the Division 1 era, by year end sat as the all-time winningest first-year head coach in the history of the program with 16 victories, and guided the Zips back to the postseason (WBI) for the first time since 2016.Â
Now in just her second season, Jackson has tallied the most wins by an Akron head coach in their first two seasons posting 30 career head coaching W's with three more guaranteed games remaining in the 2019-20 campaign.Â
Rebound Machine
A year ago, Reinoehl surpassed Anita Brown and Alisa Peddicord on the program's all-time top-ten rebounding list. The junior, who owns a team-high 893 career rebounds and a career 7.5 average per game, is now third all-time in career-rebounds in program history and needs 17 rebounds to record the second-most rebounds in a career in program history.Â
Reinoehl's 20 rebounds against the Golden Flashes last year are tied for seventh-most in a single-game by an Akron player. Reinoehl is tied with Kim Knowles, Kerry Mossburg, and Cheryl Bowles.
Up Next
The first round of the Mid-American Conference tournament is on deck for the Akron women's basketball team on Monday, March 9. When, where, and who the Zips will be taking on in the opening round will not be determined until the conclusion of the final regular-season MAC contest. UA has a chance to see Buffalo, Eastern Michigan, Northern Illinois, or Toledo in the first round.Â
