Akron Hosts Miami Hamilton in Non-Conference Home Finale

Saturday, December 28

Akron, Ohio

2:00 PM

University of Akron

Miami (Hamilton)

Akron Hosts Miami Hamilton in Non-Conference Home Finale

December 27 | Women's Basketball

Akron (5-6) vs. Miami Hamilton (8-6)
Saturday, Dec. 28
James A. Rhodes Arena
Akron, Ohio

Series History: First Meeting
Live Stream: No Live Stream
Television: No Live Stream
Live Stats: www.GoZips.com
Live Radio: www.GoZips.com

WHAT'S AHEAD
The University of Akron women's basketball team welcomes Miami Hamilton to James A. Rhodes Arena on Saturday (Dec. 28). The 2 p.m. matinee affair with the Harriers will be broadcast on GoZips.com with Bill Morgan on the radio call.

Tickets for the contest against the Harriers are available for purchase at http://www.gozips.com/Tickets. Fans are asked to park in Lots 1 (Parking Deck) at corner of Carroll and Spicer Streets. For complete parking information click here.

HEAD COACHES
Miami Hamilton: Ross Tonyan
Akron: Ryan Gensler (St. Joseph's, 2009), Overall Record: 16-24 (Second Season), Record at Akron: 16-24 (Second Season)

SCOUTING MIAMI HAMILTON
Miami Hamilton enters action against Akron on Saturday (Dec. 28) at 8-6 on the campaign following a 74-46 setback at Indiana Tech on Dec. 20.

Sophomore Gabby Martin leads the Harriers averaging a team-best 16.2 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. As a team, Miami Hamilton is recording 77.2 points, 35.9 rebounds and 14.6 assists per tilt.

SERIES HISTORY
Akron and Miami Hamilton are meeting for the first time in program history.

AKRON FALLS TO NO. 20 MICHIGAN
Akron fell 96-55 to No. 20 Michigan at James A. Rhodes Arena on Dec. 20 as redshirt senior Shelbee Brown (Memphis, Tenn.) scored a season-high 14 points to lead the Zips.

Seniors Alexus Mobley (Indianapolis, Ind.) and Zakia Rasheed (Avon, Ind.) added eight points apiece, while junior Kam'Ren Rhodes (Chandler, Ariz.) 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 narrowly claimed the battle of the boards 37-33.

Akron forced 14 Michigan turnovers with Brown, Mobley and Rhodes recording one steal each. The Zips turned those takeaways into 11 points.

FOUR ZIPS REACH DOUBLE FIGURES IN 82-43 WIN OVER CANISIUS
Akron garnered a career-high 16-point performance from Liisa Taponen in a 82-43 win against Canisius on Dec. 7 at James A. Rhodes Arena.

The Zips had four players score in double figures, led by Taponen, who had 16 points and six rebounds. Sophomore Teniesha Clarke (Burlington, Ontario) tacked on 14 points and freshman Ni'Rah Clark (Toledo, Ohio) helped with a career-best 13-point and six-rebound effort off the bench. Shelbee Brown added her team-leading third double double of the season with a 10-point and 10-rebound performance.

Led by Clark's four offensive rebounds, Akron did a great job crashing the offensive glass, pulling down 10 boards that resulted in 14 second-chance points.

The Akron defense held Canisius shooters to only 29.8 percent from the field, including 26.7 percent from three-point range. The Golden Griffins did not get many second opportunities on the offensive end, as they grabbed only six offensive rebounds and scored five second-chance points while Akron pulled down 29 defensive rebounds.

ZIP TIDBITS
• Akron is playing its final non-conference home game of the campaign having posted a 4-2 record thus far this season.
• Shelbee Brown equaled a season-best 14-point scoring effort versus No. 20 Michigan (Dec. 20).
• Liisa Taponen recorded her first career double-digit rebounding game pulling down a career-best 11 rebounds against No. 20 Michigan (Dec. 20), while also posting a career-high three blocks.
• Liisa Taponen and Ni'Rah Clark both posted career-high scoring marks against Canisius (Dec. 7) netting 16 and 13 points, respectively.
• Akron redshirt senior Emily Hall (Phoenix, N.Y.) recorded a team season-best four steals versus Canisius (Dec. 7).
• Zakia Rasheed has dished out a team season-high six assists in back-to-back contests against Canisius (Dec. 7) and Slippery Rock (Dec. 4).
• Ni'Rah Clark posted career-best marks in rebounds (6), blocks (1) and minutes played (17) versus Slippery Rock (Dec. 4).
• The Zips recorded season-high marks in triples (10) and rebounds (50) versus Slippery Rock (Dec. 4), while junior Maddie Vejsicky (New Concord, Ohio) connected on a team season-best five three pointers.
• Akron is rated second in the Mid-American Conference in blocked shots (3.09), third in free throw percentage (.740), fourth in turnover margin (-1.55) and fifth in offensive rebounds (11.50), scoring defense (64.6) and scoring margin (1.50).
• Individually, Kam'Ren Rhodes is eighth in assist/turnover ratio (0.90), 10th in minutes played (32.2) and in assists (2.9), Shelbee Brown is third in steals (2.30), fifth in rebounding (7.8) and defensive rebounding (5.73), eighth in field goal percentage (.493) and 10th in offensive rebounding (2.09), Maddie Vejsicky is second in triples per night (2.6) and eighth in three-point percentage (.420), while Liisa Taponen is third in blocked shots (1.0) and fifth in offensive rebounding (2.45).
• Individually, Maddie Vejsicky is ranked 27th in the NCAA in three pointers per game (2.64) and 46th in three-point percentage (.420).
• Kam'Ren Rhodes was an All-Tournament selection at the Colgate Thanksgiving Tournament.
• Led by a career-best 15-point and six-rebound performance from Maddie Vejsicky, the Zips recorded six career-high marks at Tennessee State (Nov. 22).
• Led by a career-best 20 points from Teniesha Clarke, four Zips posted double-figure scoring efforts against Cleveland State as Kam'Ren Rhodes, Alexus Mobley and Shelbee Brown scored 18, 14 and 12 points, respectively.
• The 2024-25 season marks the 51st season of competition for the Akron women's basketball program.
• The Zips own season-high marks in scoring (88-GSU), field goals made (32-CSU), triples (10-SRU), offensive rebounds (19-SRU), defensive rebounds (34-IONA), rebounds (50-SRU), assists (22-CAN), steals (9-CAN) and blocks (6-TSU).
• Eight different Akron players have scored in double figures this season led Alexus Mobley (7), Shelbee Brown (6), Teniesha Clarke (6), Maddie Vejsicky (5), Kam'Ren Rhodes (4), Liisa Taponen (3), Zakia Rasheed (2) and Ni'Rah Clark (1).
• Akron connected on five or more three pointers in 100 of its last 131 contests overall. The Zips hit on a season-high 10 triples in an 79-43 victory over Slippery Rock (Dec. 4).

AKRON UNVEILS TALENTED SEVEN-MEMBER NEWCOMER CLASS
Akron under the leadership of second-year head coach Ryan Gensler, boast a talented seven-member newcomer class for 2024.

Donning the Akron uniform this fall will be freshmen Kyara Bakker (Leiderdorp, Netherlands) and Ni'Rah Clark, Emily Hall, junior Caroline Lyles (Argyle, Texas), Kam'Ren Rhodes, Maddie Vejsicky and sophomore Ella Wigal (Granville, Ohio).

ZIPS' OFFENSIVE PROGRESS REPORT
In Akron's 11 games this season, this is how the Zips have fared from the field: 50 percent: NA, 40 percent: .492 (Cleveland State), .483 (Canisius), .464 (Bellarmine), .439 (Iona), .420 (Slippery Rock), 30 percent: .396 (Michigan), .388 (Colgate), .379 (Tennessee State), .377 (Georgia State), .361 (Robert Morris), .333 (Binghamton).

ZIPS' DEFENSIVE PROGRESS REPORT
In the Zips' 11 games this season, this is how the Zips have fared defensively: 50 percent: .NA, 40 percent: .491 (Cleveland State), .485 (Michigan), .469 (Robert Morris), .463 (Bellarmine), .414 (Binghamton), .403 (Tennessee State), 30 percent: .393 (Colgate), .361 (Georgia State), .310 (Iona), 20 percent: .298 (Canisius), .278 (Slippery Rock).

MAC PRESEASON POLL
The Zips under second-year head coach Ryan Gensler, were picked to finish ninth as a team behind preseason league and tournament favorite preseason favorite Ball State (10 first-place votes and 120 points). The Cardinals were followed by Kent State (2 first-place votes and 104 points), Buffalo (98), Bowling Green (96), Toledo (82), Northern Illinois (64), Ohio (64), Miami (44), Akron (43), Western Michigan (34), Eastern Michigan (23) and Central Michigan (20).

OVER THE LAST FIVE GAMES
Teniesha Clarke leads the Zips averaging 10.0 points per contest over the last five games. Liisa Taponen is pulling down a team-best 6.8 rebounds per contest, while Ni'Rah Clark is shooting a team-high 70.6 percent from the field.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
Akron has once proved to be strong in the paint averaging 33.3 points per game for 366 total points. This season, the Zips posted a season-best 46 points in the paint in a 84-74 victory over Cleveland State (Nov. 16). Additional inside the numbers for the Zips this season are below.

Points in Paint – 33.3 ppg (366) | Season-High - 46 vs. Cleveland State
Points off Turnovers – 14.9 ppg (164) | Season-High - 24 vs. Cleveland State
Second-Chance Points – 11.5 ppg (127) | Season-High - 20 vs. Slippery Rock
Fast-Break Points – 6.3 ppg (69) | Season-High - 11 vs. Cleveland State
Bench Points – 19.2 ppg (211) | Season-High - 36 vs. Canisius

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 19 seasons. When playing on its home court, Akron owns a 137-90 record dating back to the 2004-05 campaign.

This season, the Zips are 4-2 in the JAR, averaging 72.5 points per tilt and connecting on more than 42 percent (.424) of their attempts from the field, while recording 38.5 rebounds, 14.3 assists, 5.8 steals and 3.3 blocks per game.

UP NEXT
Akron opens Mid-American Conference play traveling to Athens, Ohio, to battle Ohio on Wednesday (Jan. 1) for a 4 p.m. tilt.

AKRON ATHLETICS NOW CASHLESS
The University of Akron Athletics Department announced its transition to cashless payments for all ticketing, concessions, and merchandise purchases at all Akron athletic venues, concession stands, and gear shops, beginning with the start of the 2024-25 sports seasons. For more information click here.