March 2, 2010
Final Stats
AKRON, Ohio - Ohio ran flat into a hot-shooting Akron squad on the road, falling 69-41 to the Zips to wrap up regular-season play. Jenny Poff led Ohio with 10 points.
With the loss, the `Cats fall to 8-21 and 4-12 in Mid-American Conference play. Akron improves to 17-12 overall and 11-5 in the conference. Ohio, the MAC Tournament's No. 11 seed, will travel to sixth-seeded Central Michigan on Sunday for a 5 p.m. tip in first round action of the MAC Tournament. The game was pushed back a day due to CMU also hosting the two-day MAC Wrestling Championships.
Ohio battled unkind rims throughout the contest, shooting at a 24 percent clip from the field, while the Zips enjoyed a hot hand nearly the entire contest and finished at 50 percent for the contest. Akron also enjoyed a sizable advantage inside the key, outscoring the Green and White 38-14 inside the paint. The Zips also won the battle on the boards 41-33, while the `Cats turned in a solid effort at the free throw line, finishing 9-for-12.
Poff's (St. John's, Mich.) 10 points led Ohio, while her two three's moved her into fifth place on the school's single-season list for 3-pointers made. Da'Keisha Mann (Columbus, Ohio) and Ashley Fowler (Cincinnati, Ohio) each scored six off the bench, with Fowler tying a season-high three steals. Jennifer Bushby (Gahanna, Ohio) and Carolyn Barnett (North Chicago, Ill.) each added five points. Thia Gholson (Louisville, Ky.) led the Green and White on the glass with a team-high six rebounds. Bushby also added two blocks.
Poff scored the `Cats' first eight points, but the Zips also came out smoking early on and held a 9-8 lead at the first media timeout. Akron kept its hot hand going as it hit nine of its first 11 shots to go up 21-13. The Zips extended their lead to 27-13, before a Bushby bucket and a Kamille Buckner (Chicago, Ill.) free throw made it 27-16.
Ohio got good looks at the hoop in the first half, but the rims would not cooperate for the `Cats. Akron, meanwhile, was able to get more generous rims and built its lead to 19, taking a 37-18 advantage into the lockerroom. The Green and White struggled, shooting just 5-of-28 from the field in the half, while the Zips finished at a 54 percent clip (17-of-31). Akron controlled the paint as well, scoring 24 of their points inside the key.
The Zips came out strong out of the lockerroom and extended their lead to 44-18. The Green and White cut the lead to 20, only to see Akron extend it out to 26. Mann converted on a bucket inside to cut the deficit to 48-26 with 13:30 left. The 22 points was as close as Ohio would get the rest of the way as the Zips continued their hot shooting through the rest of the game en route to the 69-41 win.
All-MAC performer Kara Murphy led three Akron players in double figures with a game-high 18 points. Senior Jolene Tamboue picked up a double-double with 12 points and 14 rebounds, while Rachel Tecca pitched in 10 off the bench.
