Akron Women's Basketball Left It All On The Floor, But Falls To Toledo, 63-59, In The Opening Round Of the MAC Tournament

Monday, March 9

Akron, Ohio

7 PM

University of Akron

15-15,8-10MAC

University of Toledo

13-17,7-11MAC

Toledo

Akron

Akron Women's Basketball Left It All On The Floor, But Falls To Toledo, 63-59, In The Opening Round Of the MAC Tournament

March 09 | Women's Basketball

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AKRON, Ohio– Playing at home for the final time this season and with their season on the line, the No. 8 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.

Senior forward Haliegh Reinoehl (Westfield, Ind.) led the way with 19 points and eight rebounds for Akron, senior guard Shaunay Edmonds (Pittsburgh, Pa.) scored 11 points, junior guard Jordyn Dawson (Huntington, W. Va.) chipped in 10, sophomore guard Kendall Miller (Akron, Ohio) scored nine for the Zips and senior forward Caitlin Vari (Richfield, Ohio) contributed five points and five rebounds for Akron.

The fourth quarter proved to be the difference maker in the contest as the eighth-seeded Zips (15-15, 8-10 MAC) 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 (13-17, 7-11 MAC) 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.

The Zips harassed Toledo into 23.3-percent shooting and limited the Rockets' leading scorer, junior center Nakiah Black, to two points on 0-of-7 shooting before intermission.

For the last time on their home court, the senior class of Alyssa Clay (Indianapolis, Ind.), Shayna Harmon (Ashville, Ohio), Edmonds, Reinoehl, and Vari competed in an Akron uniform and left it all out on the floor.

As the clocks hit 0:00 at James A. Rhodes Arena, it marked the final game of the 2019-20 Akron women's basketball season. The Zips ended the year going 15-15 overall, including an 8-10 record inside MAC play which is one win more than the Zips in 2018-19.