Bowling Green Edges Akron, 71-66

Saturday, January 14

Akron, Ohio

2:00 PM

University of Akron

12-3,3-1MAC

Bowling Green

14-2,3-1MAC

Bowling Green

Akron

January 14 | Women's Basketball

Box Score Photo Gallery

BOXSCORE (PDF) | PHOTO GALLERY

AKRON, Ohio – In a battle between the top-two rated teams in the Mid-American Conference, the Akron women's basketball team pushed Bowling Green (14-2, 3-1 MAC) to the limit before the Falcons escaped with a five-point decision, 71-66, on Saturday, Jan. 14 at James A. Rhodes Arena.

A late rally allowed Bowling Green to claim the victory as the Zips (12-3, 3-1 MAC) suffered their first defeat in conference play. Despite the loss, Akron clamped down on the MAC's highest-scoring offense, holding the Falcons well below their season average of 83.7 points per game.

Senior F Molly Neitzel (Rocky River, Ohio) led the offensive way for the Zips netting a game-high 20 points.

Redshirt junior G Layne Ferrell (Franklin, Ohio) turned in a stellar performance for Akron registering eight points, while pulling down a career- and game-high 11 rebounds to go along with a pair of blocks and a career- and team-high seven assists and five steals.

Senior G Dominique Camp (Dayton, Ohio) also reached double figures with 14 points, while sophomore F Reagan Bass (Strongsville, Ohio) dominated the interior for the Zips, scoring 11 points to go with eight rebounds and three blocked shots.

The Zips led for much of the afternoon before the Falcons took the lead in the game's closing minutes.

After Bowling Green opened the second half on a 7-0 run to cut the lead to two, 32-30, Akron used a 15-4 spurt to assume a 47-34 advantage at the 3:05 mark of the period. Bass led the way in the run with five points and helped spearhead a defense that forced the Falcons to miss 10 of their 12 field goal attempts.

The quarter also underscored why the Zips boast the MAC's second-best shooting percentage from the foul line as they made all 11 of their attempts during the frame.

With an aggressive zone defense, the Zips forced Bowling Green into 25-percent (9-of-36) shooting in the first half and forced seven turnovers in the half, leading to 10 points on the offensive end. Camp powered the Akron attack in the opening 20 minutes with nine points, while Bass fronted the defensive charge with two blocked shots.

Elissa Brett led Bowling Green with 16 points, while Allison Day added 14 points in the win.

Akron finished the game shooting 40.7 percent from the field, while holding the Falcons to a .364 shooting mark.

UP NEXT:
The Zips will host Central Michigan in their next contest, which tips off at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan.18. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+, while fans can also listen to the broadcast on WHLO 640-AM and follow the live stats at GoZips.com.