Akron Battles Ball State

Akron (9-16, 4-10 MAC) at Ball State (23-4, 12-2 MAC)
Wednesday, Feb. 28
Worthen Arena
Muncie, Ind.

Series History: Ball State leads 29-19
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WHAT'S AHEAD
The University of Akron women's basketball team travels to Muncie, Ind., for a showdown with Ball State on Wednesday (Feb. 28). The 6:30 p.m. showdown with the Cardinals will be broadcast on ESPN+ as well as on 640 WHLO AM with Bill Morgan.

HEAD COACHES
Ball State: Brady Sallee (Thomas More, 1993), Overall Record: 368-255 (20th Season), Record at Ball State: 232-145 (12th Season)
Akron: Ryan Gensler (St. Joseph's, 2009), Overall Record: 9-16 (First Season), Record at Akron: 9-16 (First Season)

SCOUTING BALL STATE
Ball State enters its showdown versus Akron on Wednesday (Feb. 28) at 23-4 on the campaign, including 12-2 in the Mid-American Conference, following a 70-48 setback at Toledo on Saturday (Feb. 24).

The Cardinals are led by junior Ally Becki, who is averaging a team-best 13.0 points per game, while junior Marie Kiefer is pulling down a team-high 5.0 rebounds per contest. As a team, Ball State is recording 73.7 points, 33.1 rebounds, 16.0 assists, 10.6 steals and 2.9 blocks per tilt.

As a team, the Cardinals are rated 16th in the NCAA in winning percentage (.852), 17th in turnover margin (5.11), 28th in triples per tilt (8.3), 30th in steals per game (10.6), 33rd in turnovers forced (19.78), 37th in triples attempted (24.3), 42nd in field goal percentage (.449), 43rd in assists per contest (16.0) and 46th in scoring margin (11.9).

Individually, junior Madelyn Bischoff is ranked 18th in the NCAA in triples per game (2.77), 20th in three pointers (72) and 25th in three-point percentage (.419), while junior Nyla Hampton is rated fourth in steals (89), and fifth in steals per tilt (3.30) and 29th in assist/turnover ratio (2.36).

SERIES HISTORY
Akron and Ball State are meeting for the 49th time in program history. The Cardinals lead the series, 29-19, after besting the Zips, 71-64 on Jan. 6, 2024, at James A. Rhodes Arena.

IN OUR LAST MEETING (JAN. 6, 2024 – AKRON, OHIO)
Akron played arguably its most complete game of the season before falling to Ball State, 71-64, in overtime at James A. Rhodes Arena on Jan. 6.

The Zips had four players score in double figures, led by junior Reagan Bass, who secured a double-double with a 16-point and 10-rebound performance. Redshirt senior Morgan Haney tacked on 15 points and six rebounds, while sophomore Lanae Riley chipped in with 13 points off the bench. Junior Kaia Woods contributed 11 points, a career- and Akron season-best six assists, and four rebounds.

BASS TURNING IN SPECIAL YEAR FOR AKRON
Reagan Bass is in the midst of a dominant campaign for the Zips this season as she comes into action against Ball State recording 16.2 points and 10.2 rebounds per outing. Her 13 doubles-doubles rank 27th nationally. She has posted a double-double in six of Akron's 14 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 47 of Akron's last 55 games, while recording double-digit rebounds 20 times over the same span. She is 17 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 16.20 points to go along with a conference-high 10.24 rebounds per contest. She also headlines the MAC in defensive rebounding (7.36), while rating second in field goal percentage (.476) and offensive rebounding (2.88), third in scoring (16.20), fourth in minutes played (35.23), seventh in free throw percentage (.766) and eighth in blocked shots (0.72). In league-only affairs, she is rated first in the MAC in rebounding (9.93) and defensive rebounding (7.36), sixth in offensive rebounding (2.57) and minutes played (34.65), ninth in free throw percentage (.726) and 10th in scoring (13.71).

She is rated 16th in the NCAA in defensive rebounding (7.4), 30th in free throws made (118), 31st in free throw attempts (154), 26th in rebounding (10.2), 27th in double-doubles (13), 37th in rebounds (256).

ZIP TIDBITS
• The 2023-24 season marks the 50th season of competition for the Akron women's basketball program.
• Reagan Bass moved into the top-10 in career scoring at Akron with an eight-point effort at Kent State on Feb. 24 to move past Casey O'Connor (1979-83) for 10th on the all-time scoring list for the Zips. She will enter play at Ball State with 1,230 career points, 112 tallies behind former teammate Jordyn Dawson (2019-2022) for ninth on the all-time scoring list.
• Reagan Bass is averaging 14.6 points and 6.8 rebounds in five career games against Ball State, while Morgan Haney, Lanae Riley and Kaia Woods posted 16, 13 and 11 points, respectively, in the first meeting between the two teams earlier this season.
• The next double-digit scoring performance for Reagan Bass will mark the 75th time in her decorated career she has surpassed double figures in scoring.
• Over the last five games, Reagan Bass and Teniesha Clarke are averaging 10.6 and 10.2 points per game, respectively, while Kaia Woods is shooting more than 47 percent (.472) from the field.
• Reagan Bass enters action versus Ball State having amassed 1,230 career points, to go along with 642 career rebounds. She has scored in doubles figures in 47 of Akron's last 55 games, while recording double-digit rebounds 20 times over the same span.
• Reagan Bass is ranked second in the Akron career record book in field goal percentage (.512), third in free throw percentage (.770), fourth in points per game (15.2) and in free throws made (352), fifth in free throws attempted (457), sixth in rebounds per game (7.9) and in blocked shots (82).
• Akron is tied with Tennessee State for the D1 lead in overtime games having played in five this season. The five overtime contests are the 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.
• Akron has matched or outrebounded its opponents 12 times this season, including in six of 13 league games.
• The Zips have recorded two or more blocks in 19 games on the campaign.
• 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 53 career-high marks this season in point, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks and minutes played.
• The Zips own season-high marks in scoring (88-BELL), field goals made (29-OAK | PITT | BELL), triples (14-BELL), offensive rebounds (24 ASU), defensive rebounds (34-OAK), rebounds (49-OAK | RMU), assists (18-OAK | PITT | BG-2), 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 (20), Morgan Haney (12), Lanae Riley (11), Kaia Woods (9), Teniesha Clarke (4), Zakia Rasheed (4) and Alexus Mobley (4).
• Akron connected on five or more three pointers in 92 of its last 118 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 and Zakia Rasheed have appeared in 81, 70 and 68 career games, respectively, for the Zips. Bass is Akron's leading active scorer averaging 15.2 points and 7.9 rebounds.

ZIPS' OFFENSIVE PROGRESS REPORT
In Akron's 25 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), .426 (Bowling Green-2), .421 (Northern Illinois-1), .417 (Buffalo-2), .414 (Ball State-1), .408 (Oakland), .407 (Miami), .404 (Ohio-1), .400 (Eastern Michigan-1), 30 percent: .393 (Kent State-1), 381 (Robert Morris), .370 (Miami), .368 (Youngstown State), .365 (Bowling Green-1), .362 (Kent State-2), .361 (Central Michigan-1), .358 (Arkansas State), .345 (Buffalo-1), .339 (Cleveland State), .333 (Western Michigan), .333 (Canisius), .320 (Tennessee State), 20 percent: NA

ZIPS' DEFENSIVE PROGRESS REPORT
In the Zips' 25 games this season, this is how the Zips have fared defensively: 50 percent: .586 (Toledo), .533 (Arkansas State), .531 (Kent State-2), .512 (Kent State-1), .500 (Bowling Green-2), .500 (Pittsburgh), 40 percent: .478 (Southern Miss), .468 (Oakland), .429 (Western Michigan), .429 (Bowling Green-1), .426 (Eastern Michigan-1), .424 (Bellarmine), .410 (Central Michigan-1), .410 (Cleveland State), .404 (Buffalo-1), 30 percent: .396 (Miami), .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), .316 (Buffalo-2), 20 percent: NA.

INSIDE THE PAINT
Akron has once proved to be strong in the paint averaging 29.0 points per game for 724 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 132-87 record dating back to the 2004-05 campaign.

This season, the Zips are 4-7 in the JAR, averaging 67.1 points per tilt and connecting on nearly 39 percent (.395) of their attempts from the field, while recording 38.9 rebounds, 13.3 assists, 5.5 steals and 2.2 blocks per game. Individually, Reagan Bass and Kaia Woods are averaging double figures inside James A. Rhodes Arena recording 17.6 and 10.2 points per game.

UP NEXT
Akron hosts Northern Illinois on Senior Day on Saturday (March 2) at 3 p.m.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Reagan Bass

Teniesha Clarke

Morgan Haney

Alexus Mobley

Zakia Rasheed

Lanae Riley

Alexis Stewart

Kaia Woods

The University of Akron Athletics