Kent State women's basketball routs Akron Zips to earn Wagon Wheel rivalry sweep
KENT — The Kent State University women's basketball team seized a regular-season sweep of the University of Akron for the second consecutive year in their Wagon Wheel rivalry series.
Kent State dominated en route to a 73-51 victory over Mid-American Conference foe Akron on Saturday afternoon at the M.A.C. Center. Earlier this season, Kent State defeated Akron 69-60 on Jan. 20 at Rhodes Arena.
Kent State (16-8, 11-3) clinched a berth in the MAC tournament earlier this week. On the other hand, Akron (9-16, 4-10) entered Saturday tied for ninth in the MAC standings. The top eight teams qualify for the MAC Tournament. KSU and UA each have four regular-season games left.
Kent State is led by senior guard Katie Shumate, who entered the weekend averaging team highs in points (14.7) and rebounds (7.1).
Shumate scored a game-high 18 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the field in her final regular-season game against Akron. She improved her career record to 7-2 in the series.
More on Katie Shumate: Former Newark High School star's final stretch with Kent State basketball filled with 'relentless passion'
Akron's top player is junior forward Reagan Bass, whose 13 double-doubles ranked 23rd in the nation entering the weekend. She headed into the rematch against KSU averaging 16.5 points and 10.4 rebounds, making her the only MAC player averaging a double-double.
However, KSU gave Bass problems in the post. She finished with eight points and six rebounds.
Akron vs. Kent State men's basketball: How the Zips earned a sweep of the Wagon Wheel rivalry series vs. the Golden Flashes
Tipoff occurred shortly after scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday. Here are updates from the game.
Below is some information about the fourth quarter.
Kent State Golden Flashes blow out Akron Zips 73-51
In addition to Shumate, Kent State had freshman forward Janae Tyler (16 points) and junior forward Jenna Batsch (12 points) reach double figures in scoring.
Akron didn't have a single player reach 10 points. Freshman guard Teniesha Clarke and senior guard Alexis Stewart led the Zips with nine points apiece.
Kent State shot 26 of 49 from the field (53.1%) compared with Akron going 21 of 58 from the floor (36.2%).
KSU led by as many as 25 points. It outrebounded Akron 36-25 and held a 32-22 advantage in points in the paint. Kent State's reserves outscored their counterparts 25-15.
Kent State is rolling vs. Akron in the fourth quarter
KSU achieved a 21-point lead when junior forward Bridget Dunn made a 3-pointer, putting the Golden Flashes ahead 65-44 with 6:59 left in the fourth quarter.
A couple of minutes earlier, Shumate made two free throws with 8:10 remaining, giving KSU a 60-41 cushion.
Below is some information about the third quarter.
Akron women's basketball team trails rival Kent State 55-39 at end of third quarter
Kent State had the upper hand in the third quarter, outscoring Akron 16-9. The Zips outscored the Golden Flashes 21-17 in the second quarter.
KSU's 55-39 lead at the end of the third quarter matched its largest lead of the game to that point.
Shumate made a 3-pointer in the final minute to restore a 16-point advantage for Kent State. Through three quarters, Shumate had a game-high 16 points.
KSU freshman Janae Tyler puts together a dominant stretch vs. Akron
Akron called timeout while trailing 48-33 with 5:23 left in the third quarter.
Janae Tyler had just dominated UA.
Tyler blocked a shot by Bass and then immediately made a layup at the other end of the court with 6:09 remaining in the third quarter.
On Akron's next possession, sophomore center Liisa Taponen traveled while trying to back down Tyler in the post. Tyler then made another layup to boost KSU's cushion to 48-33 with 5:27 remaining in the third quarter.
At that point, Tyler had 12 points on 5-of-5 shooting from the field and 2-of-2 shooting from the foul line. She finished 7 of 10 from the field.
Tyler's ability to give Akron's post players trouble with her defense proved to be invaluable.
Below is some information about the second quarter.
Kent State leads Akron 39-30 at halftime
Kent State earned a 39-30 halftime lead against Akron, but the deficit could have been much worse for the Zips.
UA scored the final five points of the half to trim KSU's lead to nine points.
Clarke made a layup with 1:14 left in the second quarter, and Zips senior guard Morgan Haney nailed her second 3-pointer of the game with 22 seconds remaining.
At halftime, Shumate led all players with 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting from the field. Tyler went 3-of-3 shooting from the field and 2-of-2 shooting from the foul line to contribute eight first-half points for KSU.
Bass led Akron with eight points and five rebounds through the first two quarters.
The rivals were even or close to it in several statistical categories at halftime. For example, both teams had 18 points in the paint. KSU held a 15-14 advantage in rebounding. Akron had eight turnovers compared with Kent State's seven.
But Kent State simply shot the ball better. KSU shot 15 of 27 from the field (55.6%) in the first half. Akron was 13 of 30 from the field (43.3%) in the first half.
Akron flirts with mounting a legitimate rally, but Kent State answers
Akron faced a 16-point deficit early in the second quarter, but the Zips showed some life.
Sophomore forward Lanae Riley made a layup and a subsequent free throw for a three-point play with 8:58 left in the second quarter. Then Haney made a 3-pointer with 8:45 remaining in the second quarter.
KSU answered, though.
The Golden Flashes went ahead 31-19 when Shumate made two free throws with 7:39 remaining in the second quarter.
KSU pushed its lead back to 14 points when Batsch sank a jump shot, prompting an Akron timeout with 6:11 left in the second quarter.
Below is some information about the first quarter.
Kent State leads Akron 22-9 at end of first quarter
The Golden Flashes used a 12-0 run to build a 22-9 lead over the Zips at the end of the first quarter.
Riley's putback with 28 seconds ended a lengthy scoring drought for UA, which hadn't made a bucket since the 4:22 mark.
Katie Shumate and Dionna Gray's aggression sets tone for Kent State in first quarter
Shumate made short jump shots on consecutive possessions, allowing KSU to extend its lead to 14-7 with 3:46 left in the first quarter.
Then sophomore point guard Dionna Gray made a layup in transition to boost the KSU advantage to 18-7, and Shumate nailed another jumper as the Golden Flashes went ahead 20-7 with 1:48 remaining in the opening quarter.
Amid the 12-0 KSU run, UA called timeout with 1:39 left.
At the end of the first quarter, Shumate had a game-high nine points on 4-of-6 shooting from the field, followed by Gray's seven points on 2-of-3 shooting from the floor.
Kent State Golden Flashes take early lead vs. Akron Zips
Kent State started the game by seizing a 10-5 lead.
Shumate made a 3-pointer with 6:47 left in the first quarter, and Gray made two free throws to give KSU a 10-5 advantage with 6:08 remaining in the opening quarter. Gray scored five of KSU's first 10 points. She finished with seven points.
Bass got off to a slow start for Akron, which turned out to be foreshadowing for the Zips. She scored for the first time by making a layup with 4:36 left in the first quarter and cutting Kent State's advantage to 10-7.
Below is some pregame information.
What is the all-time series history between Akron and Kent State women's basketball?
Kent State is 60-18 against Akron and 33-6 in series games held at the M.A.C. Center.
Coach Todd Starkey has guided KSU to a record of 12-3 against Akron. Ryan Gensler is in his first season as UA's head coach.
How can I watch, stream or listen to Akron Zips vs. Kent State Golden Flashes basketball?
The game was televised on ESPN+. It was broadcast on the radio via WHLO (640-AM) and the Kent State Radio Network.
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Kent State women's basketball blows out Wagon Wheel rival Akron
