Akron Closes Two-Game Road Trip at League-Leading Central Michigan

Wednesday, January 6

Mount Pleasant, Mich.

2:00 PM

University of Akron

Central Michigan

Akron Closes Two-Game Road Trip at League-Leading Central Michigan

January 05 | Women's Basketball

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GAME NO. 7 - AKRON AT CENTRAL MICHIGAN GAME NOTES (1/6)

Akron (3-3, 0-3 MAC) at Central Michigan (5-2, 3-0 MAC)
Wednesday, Jan. 6
McGuirk Arena
Mount Pleasant, Mich. • 2 p.m.

Series History: Central Michigan leads 25-16
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: 99.7 FM (Bill Morgan - pxp)

WHAT'S AHEAD
The University of Akron women's basketball team closes out a two-game road swing this Wednesday, Jan. 6, as the Zips travel to Mount Pleasant, Mich., to battle league-leading Central Michigan. The 2 p.m. matinee affair with the Chippewas at McGuirk Arena and will be broadcast on ESPN+ as well as 99.7 FM Akron's New Country with Bill Morgan calling the action.

HEAD COACHES
Central Michigan: Heather Oesterle (Michigan, 2002), Overall/Central Michigan Record: 28-9 (Second Season)
Akron: Melissa Jackson (Richmond, 2004), Overall/Akron Record: 34-33 (Third Season)

SERIES HISTORY
Akron and Central Michigan are meeting for the 42nd time in program history, with the Chippewas owning a 25-16 series edge. Central Michigan registered a 77-72 triumph over the Zips on Jan. 4, 2020, at James A. Rhodes Arena in the lone meeting between the two schools a season ago.

SCOUTING CENTRAL MICHIGAN
Central Michigan enters play this Wednesday on the heels of a 90-87 road triumph at Ohio on Saturday, Jan. 2. The Chippewas have won back-to-back contests and five of seven overall on the campaign.

Senior G Micaela Kelly headlines a quartet of Central Michigan players scoring in double figures averaging 23.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. Contributing 17.9, 13.3 and 11.0 points, respectively, per night is sophomore G Molly Davis, senior F Kyra Bussell and senior G Maddy Watters. As a team, the Chippewas are registering 76.9 points, 34.6 rebounds, 15.9 assists, 6.9 steals and 1.7 blocks per outing.

Central Michigan is leading the NCAA in three pointers per game (11.6), while ranking 12th in three pointers made (81), 18th in turnovers per game (12.3), 24th in assist/turnover ratio (1.29), 27th in triples attempted (214), 29th in three-point percentage (.379), 46th in field goal percentage (.455) and 49th in three-point defense (.257). Individually, Kelly is rated 13th in scoring (23.7), 25th in three pointers per contest (3.14), 26th in total points (166), 29th in three pointers attempted (60), 35th in triples made (22), 39th in field goals made (59) and 40th in field goals attempted (126).

IN OUR LAST MEETING (JAN. 4, 2020 - AKRON, OHIO)
Despite a then career-high 25 points from Jordyn Dawson (Huntington, W.Va.), the Akron women's basketball team dropped a 77-72 decision to Central Michigan on Jan. 4, 2020, at James A. Rhodes Arena.

Dawson bested her previous career-high of 18 points, while also recording seven rebounds. Caitlin Vari tallied 12 points and Shayna Harmon chipped in eight points and a team-best four assists for Akron. Haliegh Reinoehl led Akron with a game-best 10 rebounds while adding six points, three assists, and two blocked shots.

Central Michigan seized control of the contest early in the second half, staging a 10-2 run over a 2:25 span as four different players scored for the Chippewas to stake the visitors to their largest lead of the afternoon, 54-44.

Akron battled back behind three-pointers from sophomore G Rachel Martindale (Pittsburgh, Pa.) and junior G Gabrielle Brown-Mitchell (Solon, Ohio), who scored Akron's final five points of the third quarter and narrowed the margin to four, 58-54, in the closing seconds of the frame.

Dawson converted an acrobatic, fast-break layup with 4:11 remaining to draw Akron to within one, 67-66, setting up the dramatic finish that saw Central Michigan emerge with the win.

The Zips started strong, leading by as many as five points in the first half. Dawson powered the Akron attack in the early going, scoring on numerous strong drives to the hoop and also hitting a three-pointer on her way to 15 first-half points, topping all scorers.

Turnovers were an issue for both teams as each side committed eight of them before the break thanks to active hands and aggressive help defense. Akron kept itself in the game by outscoring the Chippewas 12-3 from beyond the arc before intermission, while Central Michigan used a 12-6 free-throw scoring edge to build a 39-36 lead at the break.

The Zips and Chippewas combined for a perfect first half from the foul line, making all 18 charity tosses they attempted in the opening 20 minutes.

LAST GAME
Sparked by a career-high 21 points from sophomore F Lonasia Brewer (Akron, Ohio), the University of Akron women's basketball team gave itself an opportunity to garner a road victory, unfortunately for the Zips, a 7-0 run over the final 3:34 propelled Toledo to a 65-57 triumph in Mid-American Conference action on Saturday, Jan. 2.

Brewer posted her first career double-double with a team-best 21-point and 11-rebound performance, while junior G Kendall Miller (Akron, Ohio) added 10 points.

The Zips' defensive effort limited Quinesha Lockett, the Rockets' leading scorer at 19.0 points per game, to only three points in the contest. Sophia Wiard directed three double-figure scoring efforts for Toledo with a team-high 16 points. Adding 14 and 12 points, respectively, was Mali Morgan-Elliott and Khera Goss.

In a showdown that featured 13 ties and 16 lead changes, Akron concluded the game connecting on 40 percent of its shots from the field on 22-of-55 shooting, while the Rockets made 22-of-53 attempts for a 41.5 percent shooting mark.

The Zips posted a 36-34 overall rebounding edge, including earning a 14-12 advantage on the offensive glass. The 14 offensive rebounds is a season-best effort. Akron also bettered the Rockets in points in the paint, 30-28, and bench points, 14-12.

Toledo's ability to capitalize on Akron miscues provided the final margin in the affair as the Rockets scored 24 points off of Zips' turnovers, while Akron netted13 points off its own courtesy of 12 Toledo turnovers.

The two sides were tied at 46 entering the final quarter before Jordyn Dawson gave Akron a 48-46 lead with a lay-up to open the stanza.

Toledo answered with a 5-0 run of its own before a lay-up from Gabrielle Brown-Mitchell and a made free throw by Brewer knotted the score at 51 at the 7:39 mark.

The two sides exchanged the next two baskets before a pair of free throws from Brewer vaulted Akron into a 55-53 lead with 5:24 remaining in regulation.

The Rockets had a scoring answer of their own netting 12 of the final 14 points in the game to secure the league victory.

The Zips led at halftime, 33-32, as Akron connected on 52 percent of their first-half attempts, including going 3-for-5 from beyond the arc. The opening 20 minutes of play was highlighted by four ties and nine lead changes.

ZIP TIDBITS
• Jordyn Dawson enters play against Central Michigan needing five points to reach the 500-point plateau for her Akron career. Dawson has recorded 495 points, 262 rebounds and 94 career assists as a Zip.
• As a team, Akron is rated 44th in the NCAA in three-point percentage (.366) and 49th in three pointers per contest (8.2).
• Jordyn Dawson is rated 28th in the NCAA in defensive rebounding (7.7).
• Redshirt freshman G Emma Tecca (Tallmadge, Ohio) has made 64.3 percent of her three-pointers for her career having connected on 9-of-14attempts from beyond the arc this season.
• Akron owns a 24-14 mark under head coach Melissa Jackson when shooting 40 percent or better from the field, including a 3-2 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.
• Emma Tecca, Rachel Martindale and sophomore G Molly Neitzel (Rocky River, Ohio) have led the efforts of the Zips' reserves this season averaging 6.0, 5.8 and 5.7 points, respectively. The Akron bench is shooting nearly 40 percent (.397) from the field and at a .377 clip beyond the arc this season. Tecca, freshman F Sabhbh Edwards Murphy (County Clare, Ireland), redshirt freshmen F Layne Ferrell (Franklin, Ohio), Neitzel and freshman G Kate Garry (Loveland, Ohio) are all connecting on 40 percent or better of their attempts as the quintet owns field goal percentages of .500, .500, .444, .438 and .400, respectively.
• Eight different Akron players have scored in double figures this season led by Lonasia Brewer tallying 10 or more points in each of the Zips' six contests this year. She is joined by Jordyn Dawson (5), Colleen Neitzel (2), Gabrielle Brown-Mitchell (1), Rachel Martindale (1), Kendall Miller (1), Molly Neitzel (1) and Emma Tecca (1).
• Lonasia Brewer has connected on 34 of her 64 shots this season for 53.1 percent shooting mark, the top mark 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 15 assists against only seven turnovers.
• Jordyn Dawson is averaging a league-best 7.7 defensive rebounds as part of a team-high 8.8 overall rebounds this season. Her 8.8 caroms per game is rated fourth in the MAC.
• The Zips rank second in the MAC in assists (14.83), assist/turnover ratio (1.07) and field goal percentage (.431), while rating third in defensive rebounding (28.0) and three-point percentage (.366).

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.

ZIPS' OFFENSIVE PROGRESS REPORT
In Akron's six games this season, this is how the Zips have fared from the field: 50 percent: NA, 40 percent: .474 (Dayton), .447 (Bluefield State), .446 (Northern Kentucky), 435 (Buffalo-1), .400 (Toledo-1), 30 percent: .385 (Ball State-1).

ZIPS' DEFENSIVE PROGRESS REPORT
In the Zips' six games this season, this is how the Zips have fared defensively: 50 percent: NA, 40 percent: .431 (Buffalo-1), .415 (Toledo-1), .406 (Dayton), 30 percent: .397 (Ball State-1), .367 (Northern Kentucky), .306 (Bluefield State), 20 percent: NA.

UP NEXT
Akron is scheduled to open a two-game homestand on Saturday, Jan. 9, as the Zips welcome Miami University to James A. Rhodes Arena for a 2 p.m. tilt. The game will be broadcast on the Akron Radio Network 99.7 FM Akron's New Country with Bill Morgan calling the action.