Dawson’s Double-Double Sparks Akron to 84-63 Win at Miami

Wednesday, February 24

Oxford, OH

5:30 PM

University of Akron

6-12,3-12MAC

Miami

3-18,2-15MAC

Akron

Miami (OH)

Dawson’s Double-Double Sparks Akron to 84-63 Win at Miami

February 24 | Women's Basketball

Box Score

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BOXSCORE

OXFORD, Ohio - Sparked by a 21-point and 11-rebound performance from senior F Jordyn Dawson (Huntington, W.Va.), the University of Akron women's basketball team registered a resounding 84-63 road triumph over Miami (3-18, 2-16 MAC) in Mid-American Conference action on Wednesday, Feb. 24 at Millett Hall.

The 21-point win marked the second-largest margin of victory for the Zips (6-12, 3-12 MAC) all-time against the RedHawks in Millett Hall.

"This was a great win tonight," Akron head coach Melissa Jackson commented. "We had a really good week of practice in which we were able to put some new things in. It was awesome to see them execute in the game today. We got contributions from different players in many areas, which truly makes this a team win. I am really proud of Kendall (Miller) for giving us a huge spark, while Lo (Brewer) and JD (Jordyn Dawson) did a great job on the glass. Molly (Neitzel) and Layne (Ferrell) had some huge buckets and I love how they were aggressive offensively."

Dawson directed four Zips scoring in double-figures with a team-high 21 points to record her ninth career double-double. Sophomore F Molly Neitzel (Rocky River, Ohio), redshirt freshman G Layne Ferrell (Franklin, Ohio) and junior Kendall Miller (Akron, Ohio) added 13, 12 and 11 points, respectively. Neitzel posted a career-high in scoring, while Ferrell, in her first career start, equaled a career-best 12 points, en route to scoring in double figures for the third consecutive contest.

Peyton Scott directed Miami's offensive efforts pouring in a game-high 27 points.

The Zips finished the contest shooting 53.7 percent from the field and better than 47 percent (.471) from beyond the arc, while limiting the RedHawks to an overall 36.2 percent shooting mark on the night.

Akron posted a 34-33 edge in rebounding, which the Zips parlayed into a 40-24 margin in points in the paint and 11-8 edge in second-chance points. Led by 13 and 11 points from Molly Neitzel and Miller, Akron garnered a 34-14 margin in bench scoring.

The opening quarter was a back-and-forth affair as neither team led by more than four points in the stanza, one that featured four lead changes and two ties as Miami took a 17-15 lead into the second quarter.

Four more ties occurred in the opening five minutes of the second quarter before the Zips' offense broke open a 25-all stalemate with a 16-3 run to close to half to take a 41-28 lead into the half. Fueling the run with six points was Molly Neitzel, while sophomore G Rachel Martindale (Pittsburgh, Pa.) and redshirt freshman G Emma Tecca (Tallmadge, Ohio) each connected on a three pointer.

Akron was 10-of-17 from the field in the second quarter to finish the period shooting 58.8 percent, including connecting on a trio of three pointers.

A 9-0 run midway through the third quarter fueled by six points from Dawson extended the Zips' lead to 21 following a three pointer from Ferrell at the 5:48 mark.

Akron extended its advantage to as many as 23 points in the quarter to enter the final period owning a 65-42 lead. Dawson registered eight points and five rebounds in the stanza.

Directed by six fourth-quarter points from Miller, the Zips led by as many as 29 points in the final period en route to collecting an 84-63 victory to secure the season sweep of the RedHawks for the second consecutive season.

Akron is slated to return to action welcoming league-leading Bowling Green to James A. Rhodes Arena for a 2 p.m. tilt on Saturday, Feb. 27. The contest will be broadcast on the Akron Radio Network 640 WHLO AM with Bill Morgan calling the action.