Jan. 8, 2011
Final Stats
AKRON, Ohio - Akron's Rachel Tecca scored a game-high 19 points and turnovers reared its ugly head against Ohio as the Bobcats fell, 54-45, on the road Saturday in the James A. Rhodes Arena. Alesia Howard and Ashley Fowler each scored 10 points to lead the Green and White, while Tenishia Tenson chipped in nine.
Ohio (4-11, 0-2 MAC) held the Zips (8-6, 1-1 MAC)to 39 percent shooting and just 54 points, while outrebounding the home team 41-30, but turnovers proved costly as the Zips scored 24 points off 22 Green and White miscues and had a 32-12 advantage inside the paint.
Howard (Columbus, Ohio) and Fowler's (Cincinnati, Ohio) 10 points apiece led Ohio, while Benson added her nine to go with seven rebounds and four assists. Fowler also picked up four assists. Tina Fisher (Cottage Grove, Minn.) pulled down a career-high eight boards, while Symone Lyles (Silver Spring, Md.) also added eight rebounds for the Green and White.
Early turnovers cost the `Cats as Akron staked itself to an early 9-4 lead five minutes in. Action remained tight through the next few minutes with the Zips never able to take more than a five-point lead. Akron led 14-11 with 7:56 left in the half. Back-to-back jumpers from Benson and Olivia McCuskey (St. Albans, W. Va.) gave Ohio its first lead of the game, 15-14, since its first bucket of the contest.
Akron responded with a huge 13-5 run over the last 6:52 of the frame to take a 28-20 lead into the half. Ohio shot a steady 40.9 percent from the field and outrebounded the Zips 17-12, but turnovers cost the Green and White in a big way as Akron scored 17 points off 12 Bobcat turnovers in the frame. The Zips finished the half shooting 37.9 percent from the field, while the `Cats failed to get to the charity stripe.
Fowler paced Ohio with five points in the half, while Howard added four. Akron's Rachel Tecca led all scorers with 10, while Kara Murphy added seven.
Play remained much the same for the first couple minutes of the second half, before the Zips' Jasmine Mushington knocked down a long two to put Akron up 32-22, its largest lead of the game to that point. A 5-0 `Cat run behind a trey pulled Ohio to within five, before a pair of Zip buckets extended the Akron advantage back to 36-27 with 11:37 left.
Ohio pulled back to within seven, before a Taylor Ruper three and a driving bucket from Tecca put the Zips up 44-29. Akron took its largest lead of the game at 48-32 after a Murphy layup. The `Cats clawed back to within 48-37 after a Shavon Robinson (Canton, Ohio) trey with 3:48 left and then within nine after a Fowler triple with 1:31 remaining. The `Cats would never get any closer the rest of the way, however, as Akron took the 54-45 win.
Tecca led Akron with 19 points and six rebounds, while Murphy added 13 and Ruper chipped in nine.
Ohio returns to the friendly confines of the Convo for two more MAC East contests. Kent State will come calling Wednesday in a 7 p.m. tip.
