Akron Visits Northern Illinois

Saturday, January 27

DeKalb, Ill.

2:00 PM ET

University of Akron

Northern Illinois

January 26 | Women's Basketball

Akron (6-11, 1-6 MAC) at Northern Illinois (9-9, 3-4 MAC)
Saturday, Jan. 27
Convocation Center
DeKalb, Ill.

Series History: Northern Illinois Leads 26-11
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Live Radio: www.GoZips.com

WHAT'S AHEAD
The University of Akron women's basketball team is set to battle Northern Illinois in a matinee affair on Saturday (Jan. 27). The 2 p.m. ET showdown with the Huskies will be broadcast on ESPN+ as well as on 1350 AM with Bill Morgan.

HEAD COACHES
Northern Illinois: Lisa Carlsen (Northwest Missouri State, 1992), Overall Record: 312-294 (21st Season), Record at Northern Illinois: 128-131 (Ninth Season)
Akron: Ryan Gensler (St. Joseph's, 2009), Overall Record: 6-11 (First Season), Record at Akron: 6-11 (First Season)

SCOUTING NORTHERN ILLINOIS
Northern Illinois enters action against Akron on Saturday (Jan. 27) at 9-9 on the campaign, including 3-4 in the Mid-American Conference, following an 72-52 setback at Toledo on Wednesday (Jan. 24).

The Huskies are led by senior Jayden Marable, who is averaging a team-high 11.9 points per game, while senior Brooke Stonebraker is pulling down a team-best 8.2 rebounds per night. As a team, Northern Illinois is recording 65.2 points, 39.4 rebounds, 13.9 assists, 6.6 steals and 1.7 blocks per tilt.

As a team, the Huskies are ranked 48th in the NCAA in defensive rebounds per game (28.3).

SERIES HISTORY
Akron and Northern Illinois are meeting for the 38th time in program history. The Huskies lead the series, 26-11. Northern Illinois earned an 88-63 victory over the Zips on Feb. 8, 2023 in DeKalb, Ill.

IN OUR LAST MEETING (FEB. 8, 2023 – DEKALB, ILL.)
A dominant second-half performance propelled Northern Illinois past Akron, 88-63, in Mid-American action on Feb. 8, 2023.

Rachel Martindale led the Zips in scoring for the second consecutive contest netting a team-high 17 points, including hitting five of her nine shots from beyond the arc. Junior Reagan Bass added a 12-point and team-best five-rebound performance, while Layne Ferrell dished out a career- and game-high seven assists.

Akron finished the evening shooting 48.1 percent from the field, while Northern Illinois connected at a 50-percent clip from the floor, including draining 13 three pointers.

BASS TURNING IN SPECIAL YEAR FOR AKRON
Reagan Bass is in the midst of a dominant campaign for the Zips this season as she is one of four players in NCAA Division I women's basketball to average 18.8 points and 11.0 rebounds per games and comes into action against Northern Illinois recording 18.2 points and 11.2 rebounds per outing. Her 10 doubles-doubles rank 16th nationally. She has posted a double-double in four of Akron's seven league games this season.

She became the 21st Zip to reach the 1,000-point plateau with a 22-point effort versus Bellarmine (Dec. 21). She then collected her 500th career rebound versus Ohio (Jan. 3). She has scored in doubles figures in 42 of Akron's last 47 games, while recording double-digit rebounds 17 times over the same span. She is 83 rebounds shy of cracking into the top-10 in program history.

Bass is the only player in the Mid-American Conference to average a double-double scoring 18.18 points to go along with a conference-high 11.18 rebounds per contest. She also headlines the MAC in defensive rebounding (7.71) and offensive rebounding (3.47), while rating second in minutes played (36.62) and in field goal percentage (.472), third in scoring (18.18), fourth in free throw percentage (.820) and seventh in blocked shots (0.82). In league-only affairs, she is rated first in the MAC in rebounding (11.00), defensive rebounding (7.71) and in offensive rebounding (3.29), fourth in minutes played (35.93), sixth in free throw percentage (.822) and seventh in scoring (14.86).

She is rated sixth in the NCAA in free throws made (100), seventh in rebounding (11.2), 11th in defensive rebounding (7.7) and in free throw attempts (122), 13th in minutes played (36.62), 16th in double-doubles (10) and 25th in rebounds (190).

ZIP TIDBITS
• The 2023-24 season marks the 50th season of competition for the Akron women's basketball program.
• Reagan Bass is averaging 13.0 points and 7.0 rebounds in two career games against Northern Illinois, while senior Alexis Stewart is posting 5.5 points per contest in two tilts versus the Huskies.
• The Zips posted 10 career-high marks at Western Michigan on Wednesday (Jan. 24).
• Akron has matched or outrebounded its opponents 10 times this season, including in five of seven league games.
• The Zips have recorded two or more blocks in 13 games on the campaign.
• Lanae Riley went a perfect 4-of-4 beyond the arc against Kent State (Jan. 20).
• Over the last five games, Reagan Bass, Lanae Riley and Morgan Haney are averaging 14.2, 12.6 and 10.6 points, respectively. Riley is shooting more than 61 percent (.611) from the field and a team-best .688 (11-of-16) from beyond the arc during the span.
• Freshman Olivia Brown made her collegiate debut at Buffalo playing nearly three minutes against the Bulls before setting career-high marks in rebounds, assists, blocks and minutes played at Western Michigan (Jan. 24)
• The Zips shined in the classroom during the fall semester as Akron recorded a 3.343 team GPA, including three Zips turning in a perfect 4.0 GPA.
• The Zips have recorded 51 career-high marks this season in point, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks and minutes played.
• Reagan Bass enters action versus Northern Illinois having amassed 1,134 career points, to go along with 576 career rebounds. She has scored in doubles figures in 42 of Akron's last 47 games, while recording double-digit rebounds 17 times over the same span.
• Reagan Bass is ranked second in the Akron career record book in field goal percentage (.514) and in free throw percentage (.786), fourth in points per game (15.5), fifth in free throws made (334), sixth in free throws attempted (425) and in rebounds per game (7.9) and seventh in blocked shots (78).
• Seven different Akron players have scored in double figures this season led by Reagan Bass (15), Morgan Haney (9), Lanae Riley (8), Kaia Woods (6), Alexus Mobley (4), Zakia Rasheed (2) and Teniesha Clarke (1).
• Reagan Bass, Alexis Stewart, Zakia Rasheed and senior Tahmala Thorpe (Mississauga, Ontario) have appeared in 73, 64, 60 and 37 career games, respectively, for the Zips. Bass is Akron's leading active scorer averaging 15.5 points and 7.9 rebounds.

ZIPS' OFFENSIVE PROGRESS REPORT
In Akron's 17 games this season, this is how the Zips have fared from the field: 50 percent: NA, 40 percent: .460 (Pittsburgh), .460 (Wichita State), .453 (Bellarmine), .439 (Southern Miss), .414 (Ball State-1), .408 (Oakland), .404 (Ohio-1), 30 percent: ..393 (Kent State-1), 381 (Robert Morris), .368 (Youngstown State), .365 (Bowling Green-1), .361 (Central Michigan-1), .345 (Buffalo-1), .339 (Cleveland State), .333 (Western Michigan), .333 (Canisius), .320 (Tennessee State), 20 percent: NA

ZIPS' DEFENSIVE PROGRESS REPORT
In the Zips' 17 games this season, this is how the Zips have fared defensively: 50 percent: .512 (Kent State-1), .500 (Pittsburgh), 40 percent: .478 (Southern Miss), .468 (Oakland), .429 (Western Michigan), .429 (Bowling Green-1), .424 (Bellarmine), .410 (Central Michigan-1), .410 (Cleveland State), .404 (Buffalo-1), 30 percent: .393 (Ohio-1), .393 (Tennessee State), .387 (Ball State-1), .364 (Wichita State), .356 (Youngstown State), .345 (Canisius), .318 (Robert Morris), 20 percent: NA.

INSIDE THE PAINT
Akron has once proved to be strong in the paint averaging 29.6 points per game for 504 total points. This season, the Zips posted a season-best 44 points in the paint in a 91-87 setback to Oakland (Nov. 6).

ZIPS EARN WBCA ALL-ACADEMIC SPECIAL MENTION ACCOLADES
The 2022-23 WBCA Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll was announced by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association, and the Akron women's basketball team earned special mention nods for having a 3.503 overall team GPA for the 2022-23 academic year.

The WBCA Academic Top 25 recognizes NCAA Division I, II and III, NAIA and two-year college women's basketball teams across the nation that carry the highest combined GPAs inclusive of all student-athletes on their rosters for the entire season. The 2022-23 season was the 28th in which the WBCA has compiled the honor rolls.

The Zips were just one of five Mid-American Conference teams to earn the recognition.

MAC PRESEASON POLL
The Zips under first-year head coach Ryan Gensler, were picked to finish sixth as a team behind preseason league and tournament favorite preseason favorite Toledo (11 first-place votes and 121 points). The Rockets were followed by Ball State (1 first-place votes/110 points), Kent State (102), Bowling Green (77), Northern Illinois (72), Akron (69), Eastern Michigan (66), Buffalo (50), Ohio (40), Western Michigan (38), Central Michigan (24) and Miami (23).

HOME COOKING
Inside the friendly confines of James A. Rhodes Arena, the Zips have seen a lot of success over the course of the past 18 seasons. When playing on its home court, Akron owns a 131-83 record dating back to the 2004-05 campaign.

This season, the Zips are 3-3 in the JAR, averaging 70.7 points per tilt and connecting on 39 percent (.394) of their attempts from the field, while recording 41.3 rebounds, 12.8 assists, 6.8 steals and 1.8 blocks per game. Individually, Reagan Bass and Morgan Haney are averaging double figures inside James A. Rhodes Arena recording 23.3 and 12.8 points per game.

UP NEXT
Akron hosts Toledo in a 7 p.m. contest on Wednesday (Jan. 31) at James A. Rhodes Arena.