Wed, 20 Jan 2010 06:56:39 +0000

Game #18: Akron Zips (9-8, 3-1 MAC) at Ohio Bobcats (4-13, 0-4 MAC)
The Convocation Center • Athens, Ohio • Wed., Jan. 20, 2010 • 7 p.m. (EST)

The Opening Tip
Off to its best start in league play in 11 years, the University of Akron women's basketball team will attempt to win its fourth straight game at Ohio University Wednesday night. The Zips and Bobcats will tip off at 7 p.m. (EST).

On the Radio
Because of a scheduling conflict, Wednesday's not be broadcast on 1350 AM (WARF).

On the Web
Fans can listen to a live broadcast on-line, however, on www.GoZips.com as part of the Zips Zone subscription package. UA play-by-play veteran Bill Morgan will have the call.

Series Breakdown
Series: UA trails 10-32 since 1976-77
UA Series Streak: 1W
Last 10 Meetings: 1-9
Notes: The Zips and Bobcats will be meeting for the 43rd time Wednesday ... UA is 2-18 against Ohio at the Convocation Center all-time ... Akron will be looking for its first road win against Ohio since 1987-88.

Coaches
• Jodi Kest (Slippery Rock, '84) is in her fourth season at Akron and 18th season overall as a head coach. She is 37-69 (.349) in 106 games at UA and 263-222 (.542) in 485 games for her career. She led the Zips to an 11-19 record, Including a 6-10 mark in MAC play, last winter.

• Semeka Randall (Tennessee, ‘00) is in her second season at Ohio where she has a record of 17-31 (.354). Randall led the Bobcats to a 13-18 record, including a 7-9 mark in MAC play last winter.

The Last Time Out
Behind its best defensive effort of the season, the Zips picked up a 55-40 win at Miami (Ohio) to claim its third straight league win last Saturday at Millett Hall.

Akron held the RedHawks to just 24.1 percent (13-for-54) shooting from the floor and 14 first-half points while posting its longest win streak in MAC play since the 1999-'00 campaign.

Junior Kara Murphy and freshman Rachel Tecca each paced the Zips with 13 points and Jolene Tamboue reached double-digits in rebounding (11) for her fifth straight game, but it was UA's swarming defense that proved to be the difference.

Akron held Miami without a field goal for the first six minutes of the game and pushed out to a 12-7 lead midway through the opening period. A three-ball by Murphy, followed by a lay-up by Ayla Guzzardo capped off an 11-2 UA run that gave the Zips a 19-9 advantage with 4:13 to play.

UA held Miami to just 18.5 percent (5-for-27) shooting from the floor in the first half while forcing 12 turnovers and took a 25-14 lead into the intermission.

The Zips' defensive intensity continued after the break as UA held Miami without a field goal over the first 6:30 of the second period. Kyle Baumgartner scored seven points to spark a 9-2 run to open the period as Akron opened up to an 18-point advantage, 34-16, and the route was one. UA led by as many as 20 points six times in the second half before clearing the bench.

About The Bobcats
Ohio (4-13, 0-4 MAC) enters Wednesday's game still looking for its first league win of the year.

The Bobcats, who are 3-5 at home, have suffered defeats to Kent State (70-66), Bowling Green (77-42), Miami (66-58) and Buffalo (76-62) during the first round of MAC East play. In its last game at Buffalo last weekend, Ohio fell behind 47-29 at the half and couldn't recover. Ashley Fowler was the Bobcats' lone double-digit scorer with 12 points as Ohio shot 36.8 percent from the floor.

Senior guard Jenny Poff paces Ohio offensively, averaging 11.3 points per game for the season. Kamille Buckner leads the way on the glass, averaging 5.8 rebounds.

The Bobcats and Zips shared just one non-conference opponent this season. Temple defeated Ohio, 65-43, in early December.

As a team, Ohio, which was picked to finish fifth in the preseason poll, is averaging 56.4 points per game (12th in MAC) while allowing 62.2 (fifth). The Bobcats are shooting 38.2 percent from the floor, 35.6 from 3-point range and 56.8 from the charity stripe.

Last Year Versus Ohio
Akron and Ohio split its season series last year with each team earning a home victory in two extremely tight contests. The Bobcats edged the Zips, 65-60, in overtime in the first meeting in Athens before UA held on for a 58-57 win at Rhodes Arena in the second.

Backed by 30 points from Kara Murphy, Akron twice battled back from double-digit deficits to force overtime at The Convo, but the Bobcats scored the first five points of the extended period to hold off the Zips.

Roles were reversed in the second meeting, however, with UA holding on to a 15-point lead in the second half. Ohio cut the deficit to four with 1:34 left and, behind a flurry of late threes from Jennifer Bushby, gave the Zips a scare. But Amber Witt was clutch, hitting all four free throws in the final seconds to earn the win for Akron.

It was a significant victory as it was UA's first over Ohio since the 2000 campaign, snapping a string of 16 straight defeats to the Bobcats.

Murphy averaged 25.0 points and 4.5 rebounds, while shooting 53.8 percent (19-for-36) from the floor and 50.0 percent (5-for-10) from long range, against Ohio last year. She has averaged 20.0 points and 4.3 boards against the Bobcats in four career games.

On The Line
A win Wednesday against Ohio would...
... represent UA's best start in league play (4-1) since the 1998-99 campaign.
... be UA's first in Athens since the 1987-88 season, snapping a string of 16 straight defeats.
... match the fastest an Akron team has reached 10 wins since the 1995-96 season (Jan. 20).
... be the Zips' 11th in 43 all-time games against the Bobcats and third in 21 games at the Convocation Center.

Record Watch
Junior Kara Murphy enters Wednesday's game in third place on the school's all-time scoring list. With 1,275 career points, the all-conference first-teamer now trails Pam Arnold, who scored 1,544 points in 108 games from 1979-83, by 269 points for second place on the prestigious list.
Murphy, who began the season ranked 10th all-time, has led the Zips in scoring eight times in 17 games this season and 44 times in 78 games (56.4 percent) for her career.

Cheryl Bowles is the school's all-time scoring leader with 1,712 points in 115 games from 1997-01.

Zips Notebook
• Akron, which is ranked third in the MAC for points allowed (59.5), has held its opponents to fewer than 60 points in seven of its last nine games. UA is 7-2 when its opponent scores 60 or less points overall this season.

• UA held Miami to 14 first-half points Saturday. It was the lowest offensive output by an Akron opponent in any half this season. Moreover, the RedHawks' 40 points for the game was the 11th-fewest allowed by an Akron team all-time.

• Senior Jolene Tamboue has reached double-digits in rebounding in each of her last five games.

• Tamboue is one of four UA players averaging better than 5.0 rebounds per game (Tamboue, 6.8; Kyle Baumgartner, 6.5; Rachel Tecca, 6.2; Kara Murphy, 5.3).

• Along those lines, the Zips have posted a +2.4 rebounding margin this season and have out-rebounded nine of their last 10 opponents. In fact, after being out-rebounded in their first four games of the year, UA has won the battle of the boards 11 times in 13 contests.

• Akron is 2-0 on the season when four or more players reach double digits in scoring and 6-2 when three or more do so.

• This season's magic number appears to be 70. When the Zips score 70 or more points, they are 4-0. On the flip side, they are 0-4 when they allow 70 or more points.

• The Zips are 6-1 at Rhodes Arena this season where they are averaging nearly six full points more per game (65.6-59.7) and have posted a +9.1 scoring margin. Dating back to last season, UA - which recorded the second-highest home win total in program history (8) in 2008-09 - is 9-2 in its last 11 games at on its home floor.

• Conversely, Akron is 3-7 in games on the road or at neutral sites.

• Akron is 6-0 this season when leading at halftime.

Click Here for the Complete Release (PDF).

Click Here to Listen to the Game.

EAGLES SWOOP INTO THE WINDY CITY FOR A TEST AT CHICAGO STATE: With final exams complete and the holiday season in full swing, the Eastern Michigan University women’s basketball team returns to the court Monday, Dec. 21, for a non-conference test at Chicago State University. Tip time is set for 7 p.m. CST at the Emil and Patricia A. Jones Convocation Center.
EMU enters the game with a 7-2 record after dispatching Rochester College, 108-24, in front of 2,034 fans on Education Day in Ypsilanti, Dec. 9. The Cougars are 4-7 on the season following a 73-56 setback to Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Dec. 13. CSU will have two more games prior to the EMU contest, as the Cougars battle the University of Akron, Dec. 17, and Northwestern University, Dec. 19.

ALMOST A FORTNIGHT AWAY: When the ball is tossed up Monday, Dec. 21, in Chicago, Ill., the Eagles will have experienced a 12-day hiatus from game action dating back to a Wednesday, Dec. 9, contest versus Rochester College at the EMU Convocation Center in Ypsilanti, Mich. The break is the longest of the season for the Green and White, as well as, the most days off during the season since a 13-day gap during the 2007-08 campaign.

THE SERIES WITH CHICAGO STATE: The Eagles and Cougars are meeting for the second consecutive season in a series that has been dominated by Eastern Michigan, winning all nine meetings dating back to a 58-53 victory at Bowen Field House, Dec. 8, 1993.
Last year in Ypsilanti, Cassie Schrock notched 19 points and nine rebounds and Tavelyn James chipped in 18 points of her own as the Eagles earned a 68-61victory. EMU led by as many as 15 points, 52-37, before CSU pulled within five, 61-56, on an Elana Wroten layup at the 2:42 mark. However, that would be all the closer the Cougars would get with Schrock finishing with seven consecutive points to seal the victory.

BEST START TO A SEASON SINCE 2004-05: The Eagles’ 7-2 start to the 2009-10 season is the best by an EMU squad since the 2004-05 campaign. That season, the Green and White opened the year with eight straight victories before being tripped up, 56-42, at Indiana, Dec. 18. Eastern Michigan finished the year with a 23-8 record and a WNIT appearance.

ALL-TIME VERSUS THE GREAT WEST: Monday night’s contest versus Chicago State marks the first time this season that Eastern Michigan University has squared off with a member of the Great West Conference. EMU will host the University of North Dakota, Jan. 4, 2010, at the Convocation Center.
The GWC includes Chicago State University, Houston Baptist University, New Jersey Institute of Technology, University of North Dakota, University of South Dakota, Texas-Pan American and Utah Valley University.

IN THE NCAA RANKINGS: In the most recent NCAA Division I statistics rankings, junior Cassie Schrock cracks the list at fifth in assists per contest with 7.6 dimes while sophomore Tavelyn James is 10th nationally in points per game at 22.4. James is also 14th in three-point field goals per game.

DOUBLE VISION: In just 38 games during her brief career, sophomore Tavelyn James has reached double figures in points on 26 occasions. The Detroit native has scored 20 or more in 12 of those contests for a total of 628 points. Given her current pace of 16.5 points per game, James is on pace to become the second leading scorer in the program’s 34-year history, trailing only Laurie Byrd.
Junior Cassie Schrock has also been a lock to reach double-digits in points, posting 10-or-more points in 33 of her 67 career contests. Just 20 points shy of 700 for her career, the Wadsworth, Ohio native is looking to become the 30th EMU student-athlete to surpass that scoring plateau.

QUEEN JAMES: Sophomore guard Tavelyn James scored a program-record 39 points as EMU upended Rochester, 108-24, at the Convocation Center, Dec. 9. James was 16-of-29 from the field in 27 minutes of work. The 39 points shattered the EMU single-game scoring record previously held by Laurie Byrd at 37 versus Miami University, Dec. 12, 1981.
James’ 39 points are also the most points scored by an individual in the Mid-American Conference this season, besting the University of Toledo’s Naama Shafir who had 36 versus Oakland University, Nov. 18. Also, the superb offensive output ranks fifth nationally, trailing only a 49-point effort by Memphis’ Brittany Carter, a 44-point showing by Oklahoma State’s Andrea Riley, a 44-point output by Oral Roberts’ Kevi Luper and a 43-point performance by Mississippi State’s Alexis Rack.

108 TIES SCHOOL’S RECORD FOR POINTS IN A GAME: EMU’s 108 points against Rochester College, Dec. 9, equalled the school record for most points in a single game. The standard was originally set against Temple Baptist, Nov. 11, 2007. In addition, the Warriors’ 24 points are the second lowest amount of points allowed by an EMU squad in the 34-year history of the program.
Other records either set or tied against Rochester were: most field goal attempts at the Convocation Center (82); most points scored (108); lowest opponent field goal percentage (.182); most points in a game by an Eastern player (James, 39); and made field goals in a game at the Convocation Center by a player (16).
STOP, THIEF!: In the victory over USCAA foe Rochester, Dec. 9, EMU racked up 26 steals, which is tied for the second-best effort in team history. Two seasons ago versus NCCAA member Temple Baptist (11-11-07), the Eagles stole the rock a record 29 times.

PITCHING THE SHUTOUT: Typically a term reserved more for EMU Baseball Head Coach Jay Alexander, but the Eagles pitched a shutout of their own versus Rochester, Dec. 9. The Warriors got on the board with a pair of free throw at the 18:30 mark, but did not pick up their first field goal until 11:33 to go in the stanza to make it 33-5.
Then Whitney Newsom hit a jumper for RC’s last score of the first half with 1:41 to play, but it was not until the 11:47 mark of the second half before the Warriors notched another point. The 10:54 scoring drought is the longest the Eagles held an opponent scoreless this season.

EDUCATION DAY PROVIDES A WINNING ATMOSPHERE: It may not have been the crowd noise that affected Rochester, but it certainly did not hurt. There were 2,039 screaming fans, mostly elementary students representing 16 local schools, on hand for the Eagles’ victory. This was the fifth year EMU has held Education Day, but only the third time it had been held in conjunction with a women’s basketball game.
The crowd was the fourth largest to witness an EMU women’s basketball game at the Convocation Center, and the largest since a record 5,423 fans watched the Eagles battle Western Michigan University, Feb. 12, 2005.