The University of Akron Athletics
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Clark Scores Career-High 25 points in Akron's 82-68 Setback at UMass
January 14 | Women's Basketball
BOXSCORE (PDF)
AMHERST, Mass. - University of Akron women's basketball sophomore Ni'Rah Clark (Toledo, Ohio) scored a career-high 25 points, but the Zips fell to Massachusetts, 82-68, on the road on Wednesday (Jan. 14).
Clark added seven rebounds to her 25-point game to lead the Zips. Freshman Monique Mitchell (South Bend, Ind.) helped out with 11 points and two steals and junior Keiryn McGuff (Dublin, Ohio) chipped in with seven points, four assists and two steals. Sophomore Liz Murphy (Yackandandah, Australia) tallied an eight-point effort off the bench for the Zips.
Akron out-rebounded UMass 39-36 in Wednesday's game, led by Clark's seven boards. The Zips also grabbed 15 offensive rebounds and scored 11 second-chance points.
How It Happened
Akron took the early lead in the contest on back-to-back three pointers but Massachusetts used a 10-0 run in the period to lead 28-14 at the end of the first quarter.
The Minutewomen kept adding to that lead, building a 41-25 advantage before Akron went on a 5-0 run, highlighted by a three from sophomore Izzy Callaway (Copley, Ohio), to narrow its deficit to 41-30. The Zips trailed 43-30 heading into halftime.
Massachusetts continued to increase its lead after halftime, building a 64-43 advantage before Akron went on a 5-0 run to trim its deficit to 64-48 with 10 seconds to go in the third, a score which remained until the end of the stanza. Akron played well near the basket, scoring 10 of its 18 points in the paint.
The Minutewomen kept widening their lead in the fourth, constructing an 82-57 advantage before Akron went on an 11-0 run to shrink the deficit to 82-68 with six seconds to go in the contest, a score which held for the rest of the game. Akron fired away from deep in the quarter, knocking down four shots to account for 12 of its 20 points.
Game Notes
» Akron found success from three-point land, knocking down nine treys in the game.
» The Zips shared the ball well, recording 20 assists.
» Akron posted a 39-36 rebounding advantage.
» Akron cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 15 offensive boards in the game.
» Clark led the Zips with a game- and career-high 25 points.
» Akron got seven rebounds from both Clark and freshman Corinne Reed (Chicago, Ill.).
» Freshman Shaena Brew (Rialto, Calif.) dished out a team-best six assists, one shy of her career-high mark.
Up Next
Akron battles rival Kent State in a 1 p.m. tilt in Kent, Ohio, on Saturday (Jan. 17)
