Akron defeats Northern Kentucky, 82-49, to win Akron Classic
Courtesy of Akron Athletic Communications
Akron 82, Northern Kentucky 49
AKRON, Ohio -- Four different Zips scored in double figures to help Akron defeat Northern Kentucky, 82-49, Saturday afternoon in the final game of the Akron Classic at James A. Rhodes Arena.
With its second victory in as many days, Akron (2-0) captured the Akron Classic title. Anita Brown was named the Most Valuable Player, and was joined on the All-Tournament Team by Sina King.
Brown led all scorers with 22 points on the day, reaching double figures at the 6:52 mark of the first half. She finished three boards shy of her second-straight double-double, pulling down seven rebounds.
King followed closely behind with 17 points. Hannah Plybon issued a perfect 4-for-4 performance from behind the arc and from the free-throw line en route to picking up 16 points. Freshman Kerri McMahan added 10 points of her own, also dishing out a team-high four assists.
The Zips won the battle on the boards, out-rebounding the Norse 46-30. The effort was fueled by a career-best nine rebounds from DiAndra Gibson.
Northern Kentucky (1-1) was led by All-Tournament Team selection Christine Roush who posted 19 points and seven boards.
UA dominated for a majority of the contest, never trailing for 40 minutes and holding NKU to just 17 points in the first half. Akron turned in a 45.9 field goal percentage for the game, holding Northern Kentucky to just 33.3 percent. The Zips forced one less NKU turnover (17) than Norse field goals (18).
After a long ball from Northern Kentucky brought the Akron lead to 9-7 at the 11:10 mark, the UA defense kept the Norse from scoring a field goal for over five minutes. During that time, the Zips would go on an 11-2 run with King and Brown each contributing a pair of field goals and Plybon connecting on a three-ball for a 20-9 lead.
The teams traded buckets throughout the end of the opening period, giving Akron its 35-17 advantage by the intermission.
Following the break, Plybon sank three triples, racking up nine of her points in the first six minutes of the second half to expand Akron's lead to 48-23 with 15:49 left to play.
UA would go on to score 10 uninterrupted points for a 31-point lead with 8:27 on the clock to keep the game out of reach for the Norse.
The Zips continue their homestand on Tuesday, Nov. 18 when they play host to Northern Iowa at a special tip-off time of 10:30 a.m. at Rhodes Arena. The game will serve as the Zips' Education Day, as Akron has invited over 700 elementary school students to attend.
