Akron Opens League Play at Ohio

Wednesday, January 1

Athens, Ohio

4:00 PM

University of Akron

Ohio

December 31 | Women's Basketball

Akron (6-6, 0-0 MAC) at Ohio (2-8, 0-0 MAC)
Wednesday, Jan. 1
Convocation Center
Athens, Ohio

Series History: Ohio leads 49-23
Live Stream: www.GoZips.com (subscription may be required) and ESPN App
Television: www.GoZips.com (subscription may be required) and ESPN App
Live Stats: www.GoZips.com
Live Radio: www.GoZips.com

WHAT'S AHEAD
The University of Akron women's basketball team opens Mid-American Conference play traveling to Athens, Ohio, for a showdown with Ohio on Wednesday (Jan. 1). The 4 p.m. matinee affair with the Bobcats will be broadcast on ESPN+ as well as on GoZips.com with Jim Clark on the radio call.

HEAD COACHES
Ohio: Bob Boldon (Walsh, 1997), Overall Record: 296-238 (18th Season), Record at Ohio: 198-150 (12th Season)
Akron: Ryan Gensler (St. Joseph's, 2009), Overall Record: 17-24 (Second Season), Record at Akron: 17-24 (Second Season)

SCOUTING OHIO
Ohio enters action against Akron on Wednesday (Jan. 1) at 2-8 on the campaign, including 0-0 in the Mid-American Conference, following an 83-50 setback at Georgia on Dec. 28.

Senior Kennedi Watkins leads a pair of Bobcats scoring in double figures averaging a team-best 14.4 points per game, while sophomore Bailey Tabeling is adding 10.4 points per night. As a team, Ohio is recording 57.5 points, 33.6 rebounds, 10.5 assists, 8.2 steals and 1.9 blocks per tilt.

SERIES HISTORY
Akron and Ohio are meeting for the 73rd time in program history. The Bobcats lead the series, 49-23, after Ohio bettered the Zips, 67-58, on Jan. 3, 2024, in Athens, Ohio, and 72-63, on March 6, 2024, at James A. Rhodes Arena.

IN OUR LAST MEETING (MARCH 6, 2024 – AKRON, OHIO)
Reagan Bass scored 22 points, but the Zips dropped a 72-63 decision to Ohio in the squad's home finale on March 6, 2024, at James A. Rhodes Arena.

Bass added eight rebounds to her 22-point game to lead the Zips. Morgan Haney collected her first career double double with a 13-point and career-high 12-rebound performance. Senior Zakia Rasheed (Avon, Ind.) chipped in with 11 points, five assists and four steals, while sophomore Teniesha Clarke (Burlington, Ontario) added 11 points.

Akron utilized excellent ball movement in piling up 17 assists on 22 made field goals. Rasheed's five assists led the distribution list for the Zips.

Akron forced 19 Ohio turnovers and turned those takeaways into 23 points on the offensive end of the floor. Rasheed's four steals led the way for Akron.

MOBLEY'S CAREER-HIGH 30 POINTS SPARK ZIPS PAST MIAMI HAMILTON
Senior Alexus Mobley (Indianapolis, Ind.) poured in a career-high 30 points to help lead Akron to an 80-52 triumph past Miami Hamilton at James A. Rhodes Arena on Saturday (Dec. 28).

The Zips had three players score in double figures, led by Mobley, who had a 30-point, six-rebound, five-assist, three-steal and two-block performance. Her five assists established a career-high mark. Redshirt Shelbee Brown (Memphis, Tenn.) tacked on career-best total in points (17), assists (5) and blocks (2), while narrowly missing her team-leading fourth double double of the season pulling down nine rebounds to go along with three steals. Teniesha Clarke helped out with 11 points.

Akron did a great job disrupting shots in the contest, coming away with 10 blocks. Freshman Ni'Rah Clark's (Toledo, Ohio) career- and Akron season-best four rejections led the way individually for the Zips.

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

Alexus Mobley and Zakia Rasheed 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.

MOBLEY NAMED MAC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Alexus Mobley was honored by the Mid-American Conference as its Women's Basketball Player of the Week, the league announced on Tuesday, Dec. 31.

Mobley poured in a career-high 30 points to help lead the Zips to an 80-52 triumph past Miami Hamilton on Saturday (Dec. 28).

Mobley posted a 30-point, six-rebound, five-assist, three-steal and two-block performance. Her five assists established a career-high mark, while the three steals stand as a season-best total.

She connected on nearly 65 percent of her shots from the field hitting an Akron season-best 11 shots on 17 attempts, including a pair of three pointers. She recorded a 5-1 assist to turnover ratio in the game and finished with the third-highest point total by a league player this season.

ZIP TIDBITS
• Alexus Mobley is averaging 5.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 steals in a pair of career contests against Ohio, while Teniesha Clarke and Zakia Rasheed are posting 6.5 and 4.3 points per contest in two and four career games versus the Bobcats, respectively.
• Ni'Rah Clark's four blocked shots versus Miami Hamilton (Dec. 28) stand as the 11th-best single-game effort in program history matching a four-block performance from Shelbee Brown at Colgate (Nov. 30).
• The Zips shined in the classroom during the fall semester as Akron recorded a 3.04 team GPA, including three Zips turning in a perfect 4.0 GPA.
• Akron registered nine career-high marks against Miami Hamilton, including Ni'Rah Clark setting milestones in rebounds (13), blocks (4), assists (2) and minutes played (25).
• Akron redshirt senior Emily Hall (Phoenix, N.Y.) pulled down a season-high eight rebounds against Miami Hamilton (Dec. 28) after recording a team season-best four steals versus Canisius (Dec. 7).
• The Zips recorded season-high marks in rebounds (51), defensive rebounds (39) and blocks (10) versus Miami Hamilton (Dec. 28).
• Shelbee Brown equaled a then 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.
• 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).
• The Zips recorded season-high marks in triples (10) versus Slippery Rock (Dec. 4), while junior Maddie Vejsicky (New Concord, Ohio) connected on a team season-best five three pointers.
• Akron is rated first in the Mid-American Conference in blocked shots (3.67), third in free throw percentage (.751) and fifth in defensive rebounds (26.67), scoring defense (63.58).
• Individually, Shelbee Brown is third in steals (2.33), fifth in rebounding (7.92) and defensive rebounding (5.83), and 10th in offensive rebounding (2.08), Maddie Vejsicky is eighth in three-point percentage (.420), Liisa Taponen is fourth in blocked shots (1.08) and seventh in offensive rebounding (2.33), while Ni'Rah Clark is eighth in blocked shots (0.82).
• Individually, Maddie Vejsicky is ranked 40th 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 (39-MIAH), rebounds (51-MIAH), assists (22-CAN), steals (9-CAN) and blocks (10-TSU | MIAH).
• Eight different Akron players have scored in double figures this season led Alexus Mobley (8), Shelbee Brown (7), Teniesha Clarke (7), 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 101 of its last 132 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 12 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), .463 (Miami Hamilton), .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' 12 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 (Miami Hamilton), .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
Led by 12.2 points per game from Alexus Mobley, a pair of Zips are averaging double-figures in scoring over the last five games. Joining Mobley with 10.4 points per outing is Shelbee Brown. Liisa Taponen is pulling down a team-best 6.8 rebounds per contest, while Ni'Rah Clark is shooting a team-high 70.0 percent from the field.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
Akron has once proved to be strong in the paint averaging 34.3 points per game for 412 total points. This season, the Zips posted a season-best 46 points in the paint in an 84-74 victory over Cleveland State (Nov. 16) as well as an 80-52 triumph past Miami Hamilton (Dec. 28). Additional inside the numbers for the Zips this season are below.

Points in Paint – 34.3 ppg (412) | Season-High - 46 vs. Cleveland State | Miami Hamilton
Points off Turnovers – 14.9 ppg (179) | Season-High - 24 vs. Cleveland State
Second-Chance Points – 11.8 ppg (141) | Season-High - 20 vs. Slippery Rock
Fast-Break Points – 7.0 ppg (84) | Season-High - 15 vs. Miami Hamilton
Bench Points – 18.9 ppg (227) | 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 138-90 record dating back to the 2004-05 campaign.

This season, the Zips are 5-2 in the JAR, averaging 73.6 points per tilt and connecting on 43 percent (.430) of their attempts from the field, while recording 40.3 rebounds, 14.4 assists, 5.9 steals and 4.3 blocks per game.

UP NEXT
Akron welcomes Toledo to James A. Rhodes Arena for a 2 p.m. tilt on Saturday (Jan. 4).