University of Toledo
AKRON
Toledo Drops 69-66 Decision to Akron
1/31/1976 12:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Final Stats
TOLEDO, OH - Akron (4-17, 1-9 MAC) stunned Toledo (8-12, 3-7 MAC) with a 69-66 victory on Wednesday night before 2,375 fans at Savage Hall. The loss snapped the Rockets' 30-game win streak over the Zips, dating back to the 1980-81 season.
"I told the team that we've reached the bottom," Toledo Head Coach Mark Ehlen said. "Anything that happens from here is a step in the right direction as far as I am concerned."
Junior Danielle Bishop led the Rockets with 19 points and six rebounds, while senior Crystal Young added 14 points and a career-best nine assists. UT shot 39.7 percent (23-of-58) from the field, including 36.4 percent (8-of-22) from three-point range. Toledo also held a 33-26 edge on the boards, including 16-6 on the offensive glass.
The Rockets opened the scoring with a three-point field goal by sophomore Kristi Zeller just 19 seconds into the contest. Unfortunately, it would be the Midnight Blue and Gold's only edge. Akron quickly took control and a three-point field by Jessie Crooks, who had 13 points, gave the visitors a 17-12 lead with 13:12 left in the half. The Zips continued to pour it on and connected on 14 of their first 19 shots (73.7%) to up their advantage to 37-21 with 5:07 left. Courntey Stewart then finished off UA's impressive first 20 minutes, scoring seven of its last nine points for a 42-27 lead at the intermission. It is the eighth time this season the Rockets have surrendered at least 40 points in a half.
The Zips shot 68.0 percent (17-of-25) in the first half, including 50.0 percent (6-of-12) from beyond the arc, while the Rockets were limited to 33.3 percent (10-of-30) shooting.
"You play a good game like we did on Sunday, you think you might be on the right track," said Ehlen, whose team suffered its fourth home loss in the last five games. "To give the kind of shot we gave in the first half was lack of intensity. It also showed a lack of pride, and I feel strong about the tradition here in Toledo, but we're letting that tradition down."
In the second half, Toledo started to chip away at the deficit with a 10-3 run, behind Bishop and Young triples to make the score 44-35 with 17:21 left in regulation. The Rockets quickly followed with a 9-0 run, including back-to-back layups by sophomore Olivia Terry, to trim the margin to 47-44 and forced Akron into a timeout. UT closed the gap to three points, hitting seven of its first nine shots from the field, while Akron misfired on six of its initial eight field-goal attempts.
In the minutes that followed, Toledo was able to cut the deficit to a single possession and had 14 opportunities to tie the contest or take the lead, but could not covert. They were limited to only six field goals in the final 10 minutes.
Despite cooling off from the field late in the game, UT was still not out of it. A four-point play by Bishop made it a single-point contest, 60-59, with 1:28 left, but a layup by Jessica Deville, who tallied 14 points with six rebounds off the bench, and five UA charity tosses in the waning moments, gave the visitors its first win at Savage Hall since Jan. 31, 1976. UT outscored Akron, 39-27, in the final 20 minutes.
"Against Bowling Green, we had a great first half and stunk the second," Ehlen said. "Against Akron, we stunk in the first half and played great in the second, but not great enough. We have a lot of players who just want to participate, but don't want to compete and that's our problem. That's my problem. So are we starting over, it looks that way."
The Rockets return to action on Saturday, Feb. 11 when they travel to Athens, OH to battle Ohio. Tipoff from the Convocation Center is slated for 1:00 p.m.
