The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
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Michigan
10-2,1-0Big Ten
Akron Falls to No. 20 Michigan, 96-55
December 20 | Women's Basketball
BOXSCORE (PDF) | PHOTO GALLERY | POSTGAME COMMENTS
AKRON, Ohio - The University of Akron women's basketball team fell 96-55 to the No. 20 Michigan Wolverines at James A. Rhodes Arena on Friday afternoon as redshirt senior Shelbee Brown (Memphis, Tenn.) scored 14 points to lead the Zips.
Seniors Alexus Mobley (Indianapolis, Ind.)Â and Zakia Rasheed (Avon, Ind.) added eight points apiece, while junior Kam'Ren Rhodes (Chandler, Ariz.)Â chipped in six points.
Junior Liisa Taponen (Tampere, Finland) added with six points and grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds with three blocked shots as the Wolverines (10-2) narrowly claimed the battle of the boards 37-33.Â
Akron forced 14 Michigan turnovers with Brown, Mobley and Rhodes recording one steal each. The Zips turned those takeaways into 11 points.
How It Happened
Akron struggled out of the gate, falling behind 28-11 at the end of the first quarter.
The Zips faced a 51-29 halftime deficit.
Akron's deficit continued to grow after halftime, and the Zips faced a 78-40 disadvantage heading to the fourth quarter. Akron played well near the basket, scoring six of its 11 points in the paint.
Michigan kept widening its lead in the fourth, constructing an 82-43 advantage before Akron went on an 8-0 run, finished off by freshman Ni'Rah Clark's (Toledo, Ohio) layup, to shrink the deficit to 82-51 with 7:46 to go in the contest. Michigan responded and outscored the Zips the rest of the way, ending the game with a final score of 96-55. Akron fired away from deep in the quarter, knocking down three shots to account for nine of its 15 points.
Game Notes
» The Akron bench came alive by adding 20 points to its scoring output.
» The Akron defense forced 14 turnovers.
» Akron cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 11 offensive boards in the game.
» Shelbee Brown led the Zips with 14 points.
» Akron got a game-high 11 rebounds from Liisa Taponen.
Up Next
Akron hosts Miami Hamilton on Saturday (Dec. 28) at James A. Rhodes Arena.
