Zips Looking Sharp in Exhibition Victory Over Cavaliers
With the winter season coming up, teams are starting to get prepped for the upcoming regular season. For the Akron Zips Women’s basketball team, it was a home exhibition matchup against the visiting Walsh Cavaliers.
The Zips started off the exhibition trailing 4-2, before exploding for a 21-0 run with 7:51 left in the 1st. The first quarter ended with a Zips 25-9 lead, led by Akron Forward Reagan Bass’s 10 points. Akron kept the advantage going into the second quarter, going on a quick 5-0 run at the 6:16 mark in the second to extend their lead 34-15. The Cavaliers managed to cut the lead to 8 going into halftime, with Guard Emma Dretke going 3-3 from 3 point land, including a buzzer beater to end the period.
The second half started off with Akron continuing to build their lead, going on a 10-0 run to extend their lead to 45-27 with 5:51 left in the third. The quarter ended with the Cavaliers cutting into the Zips lead to 51-40. The Zips bench contributed the most in the quarter, totaling seven of the teams 16 points in the 3rd. Going into the fourth quarter, Akron kept widening their lead to 63-51 before going on to a big 14-0 run, taking advantage of Walsh’s eight turnovers in the quarter to extend to a 77-51 lead before the final buzzer sounded.
The Zips finished the game shooting 52.9% from the field, 28.6% from 3pt and 79.2% from the line, while pulling down 37 rebounds and swiping 11 steals. The Cavaliers finished the game shooting 31% from the field, 32.4% from 3pt and 50% from the line, while grabbing 31 rebounds and also snagging 11 steals. Akron Forward Reagan Bass notched a 23-point and 12-rebound double-double on the night, while Guard Zakia Rasheed trailed with 17 points and 4 steals off the bench. Cavaliers Guard Emma Dretke finished the night with team-high 12 points, while Center Kiley Dyrlund pulled a team-high 7 rebounds.
Game Notes:
- Forward Reagan Bass notched an impressive double-double for the Zips with 23 points and 12 rebounds.
- The Zips’ defense held the Cavaliers to only 31 percent shooting from the field, while forcing 22 turnovers.
- The Zips never trailed after taking a 25-9 first quarter lead.
- The Zips bench came alive by scoring 27 points to its scoring output.
- Akron had a 37-31 edge on the boards in the win
What to expect in the Regular Season:
Akron is looking to improve from their 17-13 2022-23 season, with All-MAC First Team Reagan Bass returning and the addition of Kaia Woods from Washington State and Alexus Mobley from Danville Community College, alongside 8 returning members and 4 new signees. With tough opponents on their upcoming schedule, including Pittsburgh at the Daytona Beach Classic and Cleveland State before MAC conference play, the Zips are looking to make a deep run going into the MAC Tournament and potentially a ticket to the dance in March. The Zips open up regular season play at home against the Oakland Grizzlies.
Walsh is coming off their 12-17 2022-23 season, losing some crucial members in First Team All G-MAC Morgan McMillen and Cavalier All-Time Assists Leader Lexie Scarton to graduation. With a team consisting of 7 returning members and 8 new faces (6 new signees), the Cavaliers are looking for a big improvement in the Great Midwest Atlantic Conference. The Cavaliers open up their regular season play at Grand Rapids, Michigan to take on the Panthers of Davenport.