Akron Visits Bowling Green

Wednesday, January 29

Bowling Green, Ohio

7:00 PM

University of Akron

Bowling Green

January 28 | Women's Basketball

Akron (9-11, 3-5 MAC) at Bowling Green (9-10, 3-5 MAC)
Wednesday, Jan. 29
Stroh Arena
Bowling Green, Ohio

Series History: Bowling Green leads 59-14
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 faces a mid-week Mid-American Conference showdown at Bowling Green on Wednesday (Jan. 29). The 7 p.m. tilt with the Falcons will be broadcast on ESPN+ as well as on GoZips.com with Jim Clark on the radio call.

HEAD COACHES
Bowling Green: Fred Chmiel (Excelsior, 2001), Overall Record: 25-25 (Second Season), Record at Bowling Green: 25-25 (Second Season)
Akron: Ryan Gensler (St. Joseph's, 2009), Overall Record: 20-29 (Second Season), Record at Akron: 20-29 (Second Season)

SCOUTING BOWLING GREEN
Bowling Green enters action against Akron on Wednesday (Jan. 29) at 9-10 on the campaign, including 3-5 in the Mid-American Conference, following an 80-68 setback at Toledo on Saturday (Jan. 25).

Senior Amy Velasco leads four Falcons averaging in double figures posting a team-high 16.4 points per game. Adding 12.8, 11.9 and 10.7 points per contest is redshirt senior Lexi Fleming, sophomore Paige Koehler and redshirt senior Erika Porter. As a team, Bowling Green is recording 69.3 points, 36.8 rebounds, 14.9 assists, 7.2 steals and 2.5 blocks per tilt.

Individually, Velasco is ranked eighth in the NCAA in free throw percentage (.938).

SERIES HISTORY
Akron and Bowling Green are meeting for the 74th time in program history. The Falcons lead the series, 59-14, after edging Akron, 70-59, on Jan. 17, 2024, at the Stroh Center in Bowling Green, Ohio, and 74-68, Feb. 21, 2024, at James A. Rhodes Arena.

IN OUR LAST MEETING (FEB. 21, 2024 – AKRON, OHIO)
Akron dropped a hard-fought 74-68 Mid-American Conference decision to Bowling Green on Feb. 21, 2024, at James A. Rhodes Arena.

The Zips had two players score in double figures, led by Lanae Riley, who had a 17-point performance. Morgan Haney added 11 points and five assists, while senior Zakia Rasheed (Avon, Ohio) chipped in nine points and a career-high six assists.

Akron knocked down 12-of-25 attempts from three-point range, shooting 48 percent from deep.

Reagan Bass pulled down three offensive rebounds to pace an offense that racked up second-chance opportunities for Akron, grabbing 14 boards and turning them into nine second-chance points.

BUFFALO TRIUMPHS OVER AKRON
The Akron trio of redshirt senior Shelbee Brown (Memphis, Tenn.), junior Maddie Vejsicky (New Concord, Ohio) and senior Alexus Mobley (Indianapolis, Ind.) combined to score 54 of Akron's 71 total points, but the Zips fell to Buffalo, 80-71, at James A. Rhodes Arena on Saturday (Jan. 25).

The Zips had three players score in double figures, led by Brown, who had a career-high 21 points and six rebounds. Vejsicky added a career-best 17 points off the bench, while Mobley chipped in with 16 points, a season-high nine rebounds and two steals.

The Akron offense was very productive from downtown, pouring in nine threes on 28 attempts. Vejsicky was the most prolific shooter for the Zips, connecting on a career-best five treys in the contest.

Redshirt senior Emily Hall (Phoenix, N.Y.) led the way individually for the Zips with two steals.

REDHAWKS RALLY PAST ZIPS
Akron garnered a 15-point and 11-rebound performance from Shelbee Brown to lead three Zips scoring in double figures but fell 76-54 at Miami on Jan. 22.

The Zips had three players score in double figures, led by Brown, who put together her team-leading fifth double-double of the season. Zakia Rasheed added 13 points, while freshman Ni'Rah Clark (Toledo, Ohio) chipped in as well with 12 points off the bench.

Led by Alexus Mobley's three offensive rebounds, Akron did a great job crashing the offensive glass, pulling down 10 boards.

SIMMONS GARNERS TOPCONNECT GALA HONORS
Kelly Simmons of the Akron women's basketball program was among 21 graduate assistants who participated in the TopConnect Graduate Assistant Leadership Academy with coach Josh Pastner.

Simmons completed eight sessions and is among the future leaders in college basketball.

This academy identifies up-and-coming coached in the country and provides them the necessary skills and relationships to assist them on their career path.

ZIP TIDBITS
• Shelbee Brown and Maddie Vejsicky each recorded career-high totals in scoring against Buffalo pouring in 21 and 17 points, respectively.
• Shelbee Brown has scored in double figures in four straight games and 10 of 12 overall.
• Maddie Vejsicky has made a team-high 42 three pointers this season, including one in all but one contest on the campaign.
• Shelbee Brown has connected on 40 percent or better from the field in 15 of Akron's 20 games this season, including six straight.
• Led by 11 and seven rebounds from Shelbee Brown and Alexus Mobley, Akron outrebounded Miami (Jan. 12) by nine, 36-27, including a 10-5 advantage on the offensive glass.
• Shelbee Brown equaled a season-high steals at Miami (Jan. 22), while Maddie Vejsicky dished out a team- and season-best three assists.
• Freshman Liz Murphy (Yackandandah, Australia) scored her first collegiate points connecting on a fourth quarter three pointer at Miami (Jan. 22).
• Ni'Rah Clark has posted two or more blocks in five games this season, including in four of seven league contests.
• Senior Ellen Kinnaird (Lewis Center, Ohio) registered her first career points with a pair of made free throws against Ball State (Jan. 18).
• Junior Liisa Taponen (Tampere, Finland) recorded her second career double-figure rebounding game at Ball State (Jan. 18) pulling down a team-high 10 rebounds.
• Liz Murphy joined the Akron roster and made her Zips' debut against Central Michigan (Jan. 15).
• Emily Hall recorded a season-high 17 points at Eastern Michigan (Jan. 11) as she led the Zips in scoring.
• A five-year member of the Akron volleyball team, Ellen Kinnaird joined the Zips' squad in time for the squad's game at Eastern Michigan (Jan. 11).
• Zakia Rasheed connected on a career-high 21 points on seven three pointers versus Northern Illinois (Jan. 8). Her seven triples stand as the fourth-best single-game effort in program history.
• Alexus Mobley recorded an Akron season-high five steals against Toledo (Jan. 4).
• Alexus Mobley was honored by the Mid-American Conference as its Women's Basketball Player of the Week, the league announced on Dec. 31.
• Liisa Taponen dished out a career-high two assists to go along with a career-best 17-point effort at Ohio (Jan. 1).
• 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.
• 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.
• Akron is rated second in the Mid-American Conference in blocked shots (3.40), fourth in free throw percentage (.738) and fifth in defensive rebounds (25.95) and offensive rebounds (11.65).
• Individually, Shelbee Brown is fourth in rebounding (8.00), fourth in defensive rebounds (5.85), eighth in offensive rebounds (2.15) and ninth in steals (1.95), Liisa Taponen is seventh in blocked shots (0.85) and in offensive rebounds (2.30), while Ni'Rah Clark is third in blocked shots (1.11).
• In league-only games, Akron is ranked second in the MAC in offensive rebounding (11.75), third in blocked shots (3.00) and fifth in rebounding margin (4.63).
• In conference-only tilts, Ni'Rah Clark is rated second in the league in blocked shots (1.50). Additionally, Liisa Taponen is seventh in offensive rebounding (2.25), Alexus Mobley is ninth in steals (2.00), Emily Hall is fourth in minutes played (35.66) and Shelbee Brown is third in defensive rebounding (5.88), fourth in rebounding (8.13) and seventh in offensive rebounding (2.25).
• The Zips have posted seven 20+ scoring games this season. Shelbee Brown tallied 21 and 20 points, respectively, versus Buffalo (Jan. 25) and Central Michigan (Jan. 15). Sophomore Teniesha Clarke (Burlington, Ontario) poured in 20 against both Ohio (Jan. 1) and Cleveland State (Nov. 16), while Alexus Mobley added 30 and 23 versus Miami Hamilton (Dec. 28) and Toledo (Jan. 4). Zakia Rasheed posted 21 against Northern Illinois (Jan. 8) and junior Kam'Ren Rhodes (Chandler, Ariz.) tallied 26 points against Georgia State (Nov. 4).
• 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 | OHIO-1), defensive rebounds (39-MIAH), rebounds (51-MIAH), assists (22-CAN), steals (9-CAN) and blocks (10-TSU | MIAH).
• Nine different Akron players have scored in double figures this season led Shelbee Brown (13), Alexus Mobley (13), Teniesha Clarke (8), Maddie Vejsicky (8), Zakia Rasheed (6), Kam'Ren Rhodes (4), Liisa Taponen (4), Ni'Rah Clark (3) and Emily Hall (1).
• Akron connected on five or more three pointers in 107 of its last 140 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 season 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 20 games this season, this is how the Zips have fared from the field: 50 percent: NA, 40 percent: .492 (Cleveland State), .483 (Canisius), .481 (Northern Illinois), .464 (Bellarmine), .463 (Miami Hamilton), .444 (Ohio-1), .439 (Iona), .436 (Buffalo), .420 (Toledo-1), .420 (Slippery Rock), .417 (Eastern Michigan-1), 30 percent: .396 (Michigan), .389 (Ball State), .388 (Colgate), .379 (Tennessee State), .377 (Georgia State), .361 (Robert Morris), .357 (Miami-1), .333 (Binghamton), .292 (Central Michigan-1).

ZIPS' DEFENSIVE PROGRESS REPORT
In the Zips' 20 games this season, this is how the Zips have fared defensively: 50 percent: .538 (Ball State), .500 (Miami-1), 40 percent: .491 (Cleveland State), .485 (Michigan), .483 (Northern Illinois), .469 (Robert Morris), .463 (Bellarmine), .459 (Toledo-1), .453 (Buffalo), .444 (Eastern Michigan-1), .433 (Central Michigan-1), .414 (Binghamton), .403 (Tennessee State), 30 percent: .393 (Colgate), .368 (Ohio-1), .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 14.6 points per game from Shelbee Brown, three Zips are averaging double-figures in scoring over the last five games. Joining Brown with 10.6 and 10.6 points per outing is Maddie Vejsicky and Alexus Mobley. Brown is pulling down a team-best 7.8 rebounds per contest, while Ni'Rah Clark is shooting a team-high 53.3 percent from the field.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
Akron has once proved to be strong in the paint averaging 32.1 points per game for 642 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) 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 – 32.1 ppg (642) | Season-High - 46 vs. Cleveland State | Miami Hamilton
Points off Turnovers – 14.5 ppg (289) | Season-High - 24 vs. Cleveland State
Second-Chance Points – 10.9 ppg (217) | Season-High - 20 vs. Slippery Rock
Fast-Break Points – 7.0 ppg (139) | Season-High - 15 vs. Miami Hamilton
Bench Points – 17.2 ppg (344) | 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 139-92 record dating back to the 2004-05 campaign.

This season, the Zips are 6-5 in the JAR, averaging 69.8 points per tilt and connecting on 42 percent (.420) of their attempts from the field, while recording 38.5 rebounds, 13.0 assists, 6.1 steals and 3.9 blocks per game.

UP NEXT
Akron travels to rival Kent State for a 1 p.m. contest on Saturday (Feb. 1).