Akron Opens Campaign at South Alabama

Monday, November 3

Mobile, Ala.

8:00 PM ET

University of Akron

South Alabama

November 02 | Women's Basketball

Akron (0-0) at South Alabama (0-0)
Monday, Nov. 3
Mitchell Center
Mobile, Ill.

Series History: First Meeting
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 is set to commence its 2025-26 campaign traveling to Mobile, Alabama, to take on South Alabama on Monday (Nov. 3) as part of the Mid-American Conference-Sun Belt Conference Challenge. The 8 p.m. ET tilt will be broadcast on ESPN+ as well as on GoZips.com with Jim Clark on the radio call.

HEAD COACHES
South Alabama: Yolisha Jackson (Jacksonville, 2004), Overall Record: 15-47 (Third Season), Record at South Alabama: 15-47 (Third Season)
Akron: Ryan Gensler (Saint Joseph's, 2009), Overall Record: 21-39 (Third Season), Record at Akron: 21-39 (Third Season)

SCOUTING SOUTH ALABAMA
South Alabama comes into play versus Akron on Monday (Nov. 3) after posting a 6-24 record a season ago, including a 2-16 mark in the Sun Belt Conference.

Senior Daniela Gonzalez is the leading returner scorer for the Jaguars after averaging 9.8 points and a team-best 6.1 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.9 blocks per game a year ago. Sophomore Terren Coffil also contributed 7.7 points per contest. As a team, South Alabama recorded 62.6 points, 36.8 rebounds, 10.9 assists, 7.8 steals and 3.3 blocks per tilt.

SERIES HISTORY
Akron and South Alabama are meeting for the first time in program history.

AKRON BESTED AT CENTRAL MICHIGAN IN SEASON FINALE
Shelbee Brown and Alexus Mobley combined to score 42 total points, but Akron fell to Central Michigan, 70-61, on March 8, 2025, in Mount Pleasant, Mich.

Brown led the Zips with 24 points and five steals. Mobley added 18 points and eight rebounds, while sophomore Ni'Rah Clark (Toledo, Ohio) chipped in with seven points and six rebounds.

Clark pulled down four offensive rebounds to pace an offense that racked up second-chance opportunities for Akron, grabbing 13 boards and turning them into 14 second-chance points.

Akron forced 15 Central Michigan turnovers while committing only nine themselves. The Zips turned those takeaways into 11 points on the offensive end of the floor. Brown's five steals led the way for Akron.

AKRON TRIUMPHS OVER EASTERN MICHIGAN ON SENIOR NIGHT
Shelbee Brown secured a double-double with 27 points and a career-best 19 rebounds to help Akron take down Eastern Michigan, 70-53, at James A. Rhodes Arena on March 5, 2025.

In addition to Brown's solid performance, the Zips were led by Zakia Rasheed, who had 15 points, and by Alexus Mobley, who added eight points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals.

Brown pulled down eight offensive rebounds to pace an offense that racked up second-chance opportunities for Akron, grabbing 19 boards and turning them into 22 second-chance points.

The Akron defense held Eastern Michigan shooters to only 33.9 percent from the field, including 21.9 percent from three-point range. The Zips also kept Olivia Smith to 6-of-20 shooting in the game.

ZIP TIDBITS
• The 2024-25 WBCA Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll included Akron, who under head coach Ryan Gensler earned special mention nods for having a 3.225 overall team GPA for the 2024-25 academic year.
• Akron rated second in the Mid-American Conference in offensive rebounds (12.30) and fourth in rebounding (37.3), blocked shots (2.77) and in rebounding margin (4.0).
• Individually, Shelbee Brown was third in steals (2.3), fourth in offensive rebounds (2.9) and in defensive rebounds (6.0) and fifth in rebounding (8.9), Taponen was ninth in offensive rebounds (2.1), while Clark was fifth in blocked shots (1.00).
• In league-only games, Akron ranked second in the MAC in offensive rebounding (12.7) and third in rebounding margin (5.76) and in rebounding (36.7).
• In conference-only tilts, Clark rated fourth in the league in blocked shots (1.0). Additionally, Emily Hall was fifth in minutes played (35.4) and Shelbee Brown was third in offensive rebounding (3.4), steals (2.3) and in rebounding (9.4), sixth in defensive rebounding (6.1) and seventh in scoring (16.4).
• The Zips have posted 13 20+ scoring games last season. Shelbee Brown tallied 32, 27, 24, 24, 22, 21 and 20 points, respectively, versus Western Michigan (Feb. 5), Eastern Michigan (March 5), Miami (Feb. 19), Central Michigan (March 8), Bowling Green (Jan. 29), Buffalo (Jan. 25) and Central Michigan (Jan. 15). Junior 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 senior Kam'Ren Rhodes (Chandler, Ariz.) tallied 26 points against Georgia State (Nov. 4).
• The 2025-26 season marks the 52nd season of competition for the Akron women's basketball program.
• Senior Maddie Vejsicky (New Concord, Ohio) recorded a career-best three steals at Western Michigan (Feb. 26).
• Akron posted season-high marks in three pointers (10) and steals (11) versus Ohio (Feb. 22).
• Ni'Rah Clark scored a career-high 16 points against her hometown Rockets on Feb. 15.
• After Clark dished out a career-best three assists versus Western Michigan (Feb. 5), nine different Zips have led Akron in dishing out assists in a game last season.
• Sophomore Liz Murphy (Yackandandah, Australia) scored a career-high eight points at Kent State (Feb. 1).
• Vejsicky made a team-high 45 three pointers last season, including one in all but five contests on the campaign.
• Murphy scored her first collegiate points connecting on a fourth quarter three pointer at Miami (Jan. 22).
• Clark has posted two or more blocks in seven games last season.
• Senior Liisa Taponen (Tampere, Finland) recorded her second career double-figure rebounding game at Ball State (Jan. 18) pulling down a team-high 10 rebounds.
• Taponen recorded a career-best 17-point effort at Ohio (Jan. 1).
• 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).
• Taponen recorded a career-best 11 rebounds against No. 20 Michigan (Dec. 20), while also posting a career-high three blocks.
• The Zips owned season-high marks in scoring (88-GSU), field goals made (32-CSU), triples (10-SRU | OHIO-2), offensive rebounds (19-SRU | OHIO-1), defensive rebounds (39-MIAH), rebounds (51-MIAH), assists (22-CAN), steals (11-OHIO-2) and blocks (10-TSU | MIAH).
• Nine different Akron players scored in double figures last season led Shelbee Brown (22), Alexus Mobley (19), Maddie Vejsicky (12), Zakia Rasheed (9), Teniesha Clarke (8), Ni'Rah Clark (7), Kam'Ren Rhodes (4), Liisa Taponen (4) and Emily Hall (3).
• Akron connected on five or more three pointers in 110 of its last 151 contests overall. The Zips hit on a season-high 10 triples in an 79-43 victory over Slippery Rock (Dec. 4) and in a 70-62 setback against Ohio (Feb. 22).

AKRON UNVEILS TALENTED SEVEN-MEMBER NEWCOMER CLASS
Akron under the leadership of third-year head coach Ryan Gensler, boast a talented seven-member newcomer class for 2025-26.

Donning the Akron uniform this season will be senior Natalie Johnson (Waldorf, Md.), junior Keiryn McGuff (Dublin, Ohio), sophomore Izzy Callaway (Copley, Ohio) and freshmen Kailee Bransford (Cincinnati, Ohio), Shaena Brew (Rialto, Calif.), Corinne Reed (Chicago, Ill.) and Monique Mitchell (South Bend, Ind.).

ZIPS' OFFENSIVE PROGRESS REPORT
In Akron's 31 games last season, this is how the Zips fared from the field: 50 percent: .500 (Western Michigan-2), 40 percent: .492 (Cleveland State), .483 (Canisius), .481 (Northern Illinois), .469 (Bowling Green), .464 (Bellarmine), .463 (Miami Hamilton), .448 (Eastern Michigan-2), .444 (Ohio-1), .439 (Iona), .436 (Buffalo), .420 (Toledo-1), .420 (Slippery Rock), .417 (Eastern Michigan-1), .404 (Western Michigan-1), 30 percent: .396 (Michigan), .389 (Ball State), .388 (Miami-2), .388 (Colgate), .379 (Tennessee State), .377 (Georgia State), .365 (Central Michigan-2), .361 (Robert Morris), .360 (Toledo-2), .357 (Miami-1), .345 (Ohio-2), .340 (Kent State-1), .333 (Binghamton), .292 (Central Michigan-1), .286 (Kent State-2), .244 (Georgia Southern).

ZIPS' DEFENSIVE PROGRESS REPORT
In the Zips' 31 games last season, this is how the Zips fared defensively: 50 percent: .551 (Western Michigan-2), .538 (Ball State), .532 (Kent State-1), .522 (Western Michigan-1), .509 (Miami-2), .500 (Miami-1), 40 percent: .491 (Cleveland State), .485 (Michigan), .483 (Northern Illinois), .469 (Robert Morris), .466 (Bowling Green ), .463 (Bellarmine), .459 (Toledo-1), .455 (Toledo-2), .453 (Buffalo), .451 (Central Michigan-2), .444 (Eastern Michigan-1), .436 (Kent State-2), .433 (Central Michigan-1), .417 (Ohio-2), .414 (Binghamton), .403 (Tennessee State), 30 percent: .393 (Colgate), .383 (Georgia Southern), .368 (Ohio-1), .361 (Georgia State), .339 (Eastern Michigan-2), .310 (Miami Hamilton), .310 (Iona), 20 percent: .298 (Canisius), .278 (Slippery Rock).

MAC PRESEASON POLL
The Zips under third-year head coach Ryan Gensler, were picked to finish eighth as a team behind preseason league and tournament favorite preseason favorite Kent State (5 first-place votes and 133 points). The Golden Flashes were followed by Toledo (2 votes, 118 points), UMass (3 votes, 115), Ball State (3 votes, 112), Central Michigan (105), Bowling Green (101), Miami (86), Akron (51), Western Michigan (48), Ohio (44), Buffalo (42), Eastern Michigan (36) and Northern Illinois (23).

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
Akron has once proved to be strong in the paint averaging 31.5 points per game for 978 total points. This season, the Zips posted a season-best 46 points in the paint in a 77-66 setback at Western Michigan (Feb. 26), as well as 84-74 victory over Cleveland State (Nov. 16) and an 80-52 triumph past Miami Hamilton (Dec. 28). Additional inside the numbers for the Zips this season are below.

Points in Paint – 31.5 ppg (978) | Season-High - 46 vs. Cleveland State | Miami Hamilton | W. Michigan
Points off Turnovers – 14.2 ppg (441) | Season-High - 24 vs. Cleveland State
Second-Chance Points – 11.2 ppg (347) | Season-High - 22 vs. Eastern Michigan (2)
Fast-Break Points – 6.4 ppg (198) | Season-High - 15 vs. Miami Hamilton
Bench Points – 15.3 ppg (475) | 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 140-96 record dating back to the 2004-05 campaign.

Last season, the Zips averaged 66.6 points per tilt and connecting on nearly 41 percent (.406) of their attempts from the field, while recording 39.0 rebounds, 11.9 assists, 6.6 steals and 3.3 blocks per game.

UP NEXT
Akron travels to Robert Morris for a 6 p.m. tilt on Friday (Nov. 7).