Akron Welcomes Youngstown State to the JAR

Sunday, November 30

Akron, Ohio

12:00 PM

University of Akron

Youngstown State

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November 28 | Women's Basketball

Akron (0-6) vs Youngstown State (4-2)
Sunday, Nov. 30
James A. Rhodes Arena
Akron, Ohio

Series History: Youngstown State leads 42-20
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
Purchase Tickets: www.GoZips.com/Tickets

WHAT'S AHEAD
The University of Akron women's basketball team welcomes Youngstown State to James A. Rhodes Arena on Sunday (Nov. 30). The 12 p.m. tilt will be broadcast on ESPN+ with David Bacon and Bill Morgan on the call as well as on GoZips.com with Jim Clark on the radio call.

Tickets for the contest against the Penguins 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
Youngstown State: Melissa Jackson (Richmond, 2004), Overall Record: 88-90 (Seventh Season), Record at Youngstown State: 16-21 (Second Season)
Akron: Ryan Gensler (Saint Joseph's, 2009), Overall Record: 21-45 (Third Season), Record at Akron: 21-45 (Third Season)

SCOUTING YOUNGSTOWN STATE
Youngstown State comes into play versus Akron on Sunday (Nov. 30) at 4-2 on the campaign following a 69-65 setback against Toledo on Tuesday (Nov. 25).

Redshirt senior Casey Santoro directs the Penguins in scoring averaging 13.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game, while sophomore Sophia Gregory is pulling down a team-best 8.2 rebounds per contest. As a team, Youngstown State is recording 68.3 points, 36.7 rebounds, 15.3 assists, 9.0 steals and 3.8 blocks per tilt.

Individually, Santoro is ranked 38th in the NCAA in three-point percentage (.484), while junior Paulina Hernandez is ranked 42nd in blocks (11) and 48th in blocks per game (1.83).

Youngstown State head coach Melissa Jackson led the Akron program for five seasons from 2018-2023.

SERIES HISTORY
Akron and Youngstown State are meeting for the 63rd time in program history with the Penguins owning a 42-20 series edge following a 53-52 victory by Youngstown State on Dec. 6, 2023, in Youngstown, Ohio.

IN OUR LAST MEETING (DEC. 6, 2023 – YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO)
Akron dropped a 53-52 decision at Youngstown State on Dec. 6, 2023.

The Zips had four players score in double figures, led by junior Teniesha Clarke (Burlington, Ontario), who had 12 points. Reagan Bass added 11 points and seven rebounds and Zakia Rasheed helped out with 11 points and two steals. Morgan Haney contributed 10 points.

Akron's defense held Youngstown State to only 35.6 percent shooting from the field, including 17.2 percent from beyond the arc.

After falling behind 9-4, Akron went on a 5-0 run with 2:33 left in the first quarter, culminating in a three from Rasheed, to tie the game at nine. Youngstown State then pulled ahead, sending the Zips into the second quarter down, 13-9.

The Zips were not able to cut the lead in the second quarter and faced a 28-22 halftime deficit. Youngstown State continued to increase its lead after halftime, building a 38-25 advantage before Akron went on a 7-0 run, punctuated by a three from Rasheed, to trim its deficit to 38-32 with 4:33 to go in the third. Youngstown State countered and stretched its lead to 43-36 heading into the fourth. Akron knocked down two three-pointers in the quarter to score six of its 14 total points.

Youngstown State kept widening its lead in the fourth, constructing a 45-36 advantage before Akron went on a 6-0 run, finished off by Clarke's layup, to shrink the deficit to 45-42 with 3:22 to go in the contest. The Zips kept their comeback going, but Youngstown State managed to hold on for the 53-52 win. Akron took advantage of its opportunities in the post, scoring eight of its 16 points in the paint.

AKRON COMEBACK FALLS SHORT VERSUS XAVIER
Akron held Xavier to just 16.7 percent from deep in a 3-for-18 shooting performance but fell 64-57 to the Musketeers at James A. Rhodes Arena on Monday (Nov. 24).

The Zips had three players score in double figures, led by freshman Shaena Brew (Rialto, Calif.) with 14 points and eight rebounds. Sophomore Ni'Rah Clark (Toledo, Ohio) added 13 points and six rebounds, while sophomore Izzy Callaway (Copley, Ohio) scored 10 points off the bench. Brew and senior Natalie Johnson (Waldorf, Md.) led the squad on the glass, each pulling down eight rebounds. Brew pulled down three offensive rebounds to pace an offense that racked up second chance opportunities for Akron, grabbing 15 boards and turning them into four second-chance points.

After falling behind 17-7, Akron went on a 7-0 run with 3:42 left in the first quarter to narrow its deficit to 17-14. The Zips continued to close the gap, cutting the Xavier lead to 19-17 by the end of the first period.

Xavier kept adding to that lead, building a 29-17 advantage before Akron went on a 6-0 run, highlighted by a three from Callaway, to narrow its deficit to 29-23. Xavier responded and expanded its lead, leaving the Zips trailing 35-25 heading into halftime.

Akron and Xavier both put up 16 points in the third quarter, keeping the deficit even at 51-41 entering the fourth. Akron turned five offensive rebounds into four second chance points on the way to scoring 16 total points in the quarter.

Akron narrowed its deficit to 61-52 before going on a 5-0 run, finished off by Brew's three, to shrink the deficit to 61-57 with 1:14 to go in the contest. Xavier responded and outscored the Zips the rest of the way, ending the game with a final score of 64-57. Akron took advantage of its opportunities in the post, scoring 10 of its 16 points in the paint.

BINGHAMTON EDGES AKRON IN DOUBLE OVERTIME
Akron fell to Binghamton, 95-94, in two overtimes at James A. Rhodes Arena on Thursday (Nov. 20)

The Zips had four players score in double figures, led by Ni'Rah Clark, who had her second career double-double with a 19-point and 14-rebound performance. Shaena Brew tacked on a career-high 14 points and seven assists, junior Keiryn McGuff (Dublin, Ohio) added 13 points, nine rebounds and two blocks and Natalie Johnson chipped in 13 points.

Led by McGuff's four offensive rebounds, Akron did a great job crashing the offensive glass, pulling down 14 boards that resulted in 17 second-chance points.

Akron forced 25 Binghamton turnovers turning those takeaways into 24 points on the other end of the floor. Freshman Monique Mitchell (South Bend, Ohio) led the way individually with one steal.

Clark notched a double-double for the Zips with 19 points and 14 rebounds. Akron found success from three-point land, knocking down eight treys in the game.

ZIP TIDBITS
• Akron is meeting Youngstown State for the 63rd time in program history.
• The Zips are in search of their fifth consecutive home win over the Penguins dating back to the 2013-14 campaign.
• Akron is averaging 69.8 points per game versus Youngstown State since the 2013-14 campaign, including 78,.4 tallies per tilt at home. The Zips are holding the Penguins to 61.9 points per game en route to posting a 6-4 record in those 10 games.
• Led by a career-best 14-point and eight-rebound effort from Shaena Brew, the Zips posted five career-high marks against Xavier (Nov. 24).
• The Zips registered nine career-best marks versus Binghamton (Nov. 20).
• A season-high four Zips scored in double figures against Binghamton (Nov. 20) as Ni'Rah Clark, Shaena Brew, Natalie Johnson and Keiryn McGuff tallied, 19, 14, 13 and 13 points, respectively.
• The Zips tallied 10 career-high marks at Cleveland State (Nov. 16) led by a career-best 15 points from Keiryn McGuff.
• Ni'Rah Clark, Shaena Brew, Keiryn McGuff and Monique Mitchell have posted four, three, two and two double figure scoring performances this season.
• Four different Zips have led the squad in scoring this season led by Ni'Rah Clark (3), Shaena Brew (1), Keiryn McGuff (1) and Monique Mitchell (1), while five different Akron players have paced the team in rebounding headlined by Clark (3), McGuff (2), Shaena Brew (2), Natalie Johnson (1) and freshman Corinne Reed (Chicago, Ill.) (1).
• Akron recorded 10 career-high marks against Notre Dame (Nov. 12), including Shaena Brew and Corinne Reed scoring career-high totals in scoring netting 12 and 11 points, respectively.
• The Zips shot a season-best 51.1 percent from the field versus the Fighting Irish (Nov. 12), including shooting more than 69 percent (.691) in the second quarter on 9-of-13 shooting.
• Five Akron players posted career-high marks at Robert Morris (Nov. 7), including a career-best 22-point effort from Ni'Rah Clark.
• Monique Mitchell registered a career-high 21-point scoring effort at South Alabama (Nov. 3).
• Keiryn McGuff is rated 29th in the NCAA in free throw attempts (42) and 36th in free throws made (30).
• The Zips garnered 12 career-high marks at South Alabama, with Brew dishing out a career- and game-high five assists, while junior Ella Wigal (Granville, Ohio) posted a season-best two steals.
• 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 is rated fifth in the Mid-American Conference in field goal percentage (.405), triples made (6.3) and three-point defense (.268) and sixth in three-point percentage (.284).
• Individually, Ni'Rah Clark is second in field goal percentage (.630), ninth in scoring (13.7) and in rebounding (6.8), Keiryn McGuff is seventh in blocks (0.8), Shaena Brew is first in three-point percentage (.533), eighth in assists (3.7) and 10th in assist/turnover ratio (1.0) and Monique Mitchell is eighth in field goal percentage (.512).
• The Zips have posted 2 20+ scoring games this season. Ni'Rah Clark scored 22 points at Robert Morris (Nov. 7), while Monique Mitchell tallied 21 points versus South Alabama (Nov. 3).
• The 2025-26 season marks the 52nd season of competition for the Akron women's basketball program.
• 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 own season-high marks in scoring (94-BING), field goals made (30-BING), triples (8-BING), offensive rebounds (16-CSU), defensive rebounds (31-BING), rebounds (45-BING), assists (14-RMU), steals (10-CSU | Notre Dame) and blocks (3-CSU | Notre Dame | BING).
• Seven different Akron players have scored in double figures this season led Ni'Rah Clark (4), Shaena Brew (3), Keiryn McGuff (2), Monique Mitchell (2), Izzy Callaway (1), Natalie Johnson (1) and Corinne Reed (1).
• Akron has connected on five or more three pointers in 116 of its last 157 contests overall. The Zips hit on a season-high eight triples in an 95-94 setback versus Binghamton (Nov. 20).

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 Natalie Johnson, Keiryn McGuff, Izzy Callaway and freshmen Kailee Bransford (Cincinnati, Ohio), Shaena Brew, Corinne Reed and Monique Mitchell.

ZIPS' OFFENSIVE PROGRESS REPORT
In Akron's six games this season, this is how the Zips have fared from the field: 50 percent: .511 (Notre Dame), 40 percent: .469 (Binghamton), .440 (Robert Morris), .414 (South Alabama), 30 percent: .321 (Cleveland State), 20 percent: .295 (Xavier).

ZIPS' DEFENSIVE PROGRESS REPORT
In the Zips' six games this season, this is how the Zips have fared defensively: 50 percent: .NA, 40 percent: .474 (South Alabama), .472 (Cleveland State), .470 (Notre Dame), .434 (Robert Morris), .407 (Xavier), 30 percent: .395 (Binghamton), 20 percent: NA.

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 30.0 points per game for 180 total points. This season, the Zips posted a season-best 44 points in the paint versus Binghamton (Nov. 20). Additional inside the numbers for the Zips this season are below.

Points in Paint – 30.0 ppg (180) | Season-High - 44 vs Binghamton
Points off Turnovers – 14.5 ppg (87) | Season-High -24 vs Binghamton
Second-Chance Points – 7.8 ppg (47) | Season-High - 17 vs Binghamton
Fast-Break Points – 9.8 ppg (59) | Season-High - 19 vs Binghamton
Bench Points – 22.3 ppg (134) | Season-High - 32 vs Binghamton

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 20 seasons. When playing on its home court, Akron owns a 140-98 record dating back to the 2004-05 campaign.

This season, the Zips average 75.5 points per tilt and connecting on more than 38 percent (.384) of their attempts from the field, while recording 42.5 rebounds, 13.0 assists, 4.5 steals and 1.5 blocks per game.

UP NEXT
Akron hosts Heidelberg in an 11 a.m. game on Wednesday (Dec. 3) at James A. Rhodes Arena.