Akron Hosts Toledo in Midweek League Showdown

Akron (7-11, 2-6 MAC) vs. Toledo (14-4, 7-1 MAC)
Wednesday, Jan. 31
James A. Rhodes Arena
Akron, Ohio

Series History: Toledo Leads 50-14
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WHAT'S AHEAD
The University of Akron women's basketball team opens a two-game homestand welcoming Toledo to James A. Rhodes Arena on Wednesday (Jan. 31). The 7 p.m. showdown with the Rockets will be broadcast on ESPN+ with Michael Reghi and Jeff Phelps on the call as well as on 640 WHLO AM with Bill Morgan.

HEAD COACHES
Toledo: Tricia Cullop (Purdue, 1993), Overall Record: 462-277 (24th Season), Record at Toledo: 339-167 (16th Season)
Akron: Ryan Gensler (St. Joseph's, 2009), Overall Record: 7-11 (First Season), Record at Akron: 7-11 (First Season)

SCOUTING TOLEDO
Toledo comes into play versus Akron on Wednesday (Jan. 31) at 14-4 on the campaign, including 7-1 in the Mid-American Conference, following an 67-63 victory over Buffalo on Saturday (Jan. 27).

The Rockets are led by redshirt senior Sophia Wiard, who is averaging a team-high 15.9 points per game, while redshirt senior Quinesha Lockett is pulling down a team-best 6.0 rebounds per night. As a team, Toledo is recording 68.2 points, 38.9 rebounds, 14.1 assists, 7.6 steals and 2.7 blocks per tilt.

Individually, Wiard is ranked 11th in the NCAA in minutes per game (36.77), 14th in three point percentage (.451) and 20th in free throw percentage (.890).

SERIES HISTORY
Akron and Toledo are meeting for the 65th time in program history. The Rockets lead the series, 50-14, after Toledo bested the Zips, 76-63, on Jan. 21, 2023 at Savage Arena and 80-76 at James A. Rhodes Arena on Feb. 22, 2023.

IN OUR LAST MEETING (FEB. 22, 2023 – AKRON, OHIO)
Behind a balanced offensive attack powered by red-shot long distance shooting, Akron battled league-leading Toledo to the final buzzer before falling, 80-76, on Feb. 22, 2023 at James A. Rhodes Arena.

A driving, twisting layup by Layne Ferrell pulled Akron to within two, 78-76, with just under five seconds left, but the Zips couldn't close the gap before time expired.

Junior Reagan Bass led all scorers with 24 points, while Ferrell tallied 17 and Dominique Camp notched 10 for Akron.

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 five players in NCAA Division I women's basketball to average 18.0 points and 11.0 rebounds per games and comes into action against Toledo recording 18.0 points and 11.3 rebounds per outing. Her 11 doubles-doubles rank 13th nationally. She has posted a double-double in five of Akron's eight 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 43 of Akron's last 48 games, while recording double-digit rebounds 18 times over the same span. She is 70 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 18.0 points to go along with a conference-high 11.28 rebounds per contest. She also headlines the MAC in defensive rebounding (7.94) and offensive rebounding (3.33), while rating second in minutes played (36.52) and in field goal percentage (.482), third in scoring (18.00), sixth in free throw percentage (.802) and seventh in blocked shots (0.83). In league-only affairs, she is rated first in the MAC in rebounding (11.25), defensive rebounding (8.25) and in offensive rebounding (3.00), fifth in minutes played (35.80), eighth in free throw percentage (.766) and in scoring (14.88).

She is rated seventh in the NCAA in rebounding (11.2), 10th in free throws made (101) and in defensive rebounding (7.9), 13th in double-doubles (11), 14th in free throw attempts (126), 16th in minutes played (36.52), and 23rd in rebounds (203).

ZIP TIDBITS
• The 2023-24 season marks the 50th season of competition for the Akron women's basketball program.
• Akron is tied with San Diego State and Tennessee State for the D1 lead in overtime games having played in four this season. The four overtime contests are tied with Akron's 2015-16 team for most in a single season in program history. The NCAA record for overtime games in a season is seven, as Houston played in seven during the 2018-19 campaign.
• Reagan Bass is averaging 19.7 points and 5.7 rebounds in three career games against Toledo and has scored 24 points in each of the last two games between the schools.
• Alexus Mobley equaled a career best for rebounds (6) in Akron's win at Northern Illinois (Jan. 27).
• The Zips posted 10 career-high marks at Western Michigan on Jan. 24.
• Akron has matched or outrebounded its opponents 10 times this season, including in five of eight league games.
• The Zips have recorded two or more blocks in 14 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 and Lanae Riley are averaging 13.0 and 10.8 points, respectively. Riley is shooting more than 51 percent (.514) from the field and a team-best .500 (10-of-20) from beyond the arc during the span.
• Freshman Olivia Brown (Fishers, Ind.) 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 52 career-high marks this season in point, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks and minutes played.
• Reagan Bass enters action versus Toledo having amassed 1,149 career points, to go along with 589 career rebounds. She has scored in doubles figures in 43 of Akron's last 48 games, while recording double-digit rebounds 18 times over the same span.
• Reagan Bass needs 80 points to surpass Casey O'Connor (1979-83) for 10th on the all-time scoring list at Akron.
• Reagan Bass is ranked second in the Akron career record book in field goal percentage (.517), third in free throw percentage (.781), fourth in points per game (15.5), fifth in free throws made (335) and in rebounds per game (8.0), sixth in free throws attempted (429) and seventh in blocked shots (79).
• The Zips own season-high marks in scoring (88-BELL), field goals made (29-OAK | PITT | BELL), triples (14-BELL), offensive rebounds (19-RMU | BELL), defensive rebounds (34-OAK), rebounds (49-OAK | RMU), assists (18-OAK | PITT), steals (11-CAN) and blocks (5-RMU | CSU | CAN | BUFF-1).
• Seven different Akron players have scored in double figures this season led by Reagan Bass (16), Morgan Haney (10), Lanae Riley (8), Kaia Woods (6), Alexus Mobley (4), Zakia Rasheed (2) and Teniesha Clarke (1).
• Akron connected on five or more three pointers in 86 of its last 111 contests overall. The Zips hit on a season-high 14 triples in an 88-65 victory over Bellarmine (Dec. 21, 2023).
• Reagan Bass, Alexis Stewart, Zakia Rasheed and senior Tahmala Thorpe (Mississauga, Ontario) have appeared in 74, 65, 61 and 37 career games, respectively, for the Zips. Bass is Akron's leading active scorer averaging 15.5 points and 8.0 rebounds.

ZIPS' OFFENSIVE PROGRESS REPORT
In Akron's 18 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), .421 (Northern Illinois-1), .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' 18 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), .333 (Northern Illinois-1), .318 (Robert Morris), 20 percent: NA.

INSIDE THE PAINT
Akron has once proved to be strong in the paint averaging 29.8 points per game for 536 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 Miami in a 2 p.m. tilt on Saturday (Feb. 3) at James A. Rhodes Arena.

The University of Akron Athletics

Players Mentioned

Reagan Bass

Olivia Brown

Dominique Camp

Teniesha Clarke

Layne Ferrell

Morgan Haney

Alexus Mobley

Zakia Rasheed

Lanae Riley

Alexis Stewart

Tahmala Thorpe

Kaia Woods

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