Alumni Arena turned into the Pink Zone on Saturday afternoon when the women's basketball team hosted Akron. The team hoped to avenge a 16-point loss to the Zips that came over a month ago at Rhodes Arena.
Despite a great start by the Bulls (7-18, 3-9 Mid-American Conference), the team was left heartbroken after Akron center Kyle Baumgartner drained a 3-pointer with 37 seconds left to help the Zips (15-10, 9-3 MAC) cruise to a 63-57 win.
Akron head coach Jodi Krest let out a sigh of relief after the game in regard to Baumgartner's miracle 3-pointer.
"It really came down to a really lucky shot," Kest said. "I thought they defended well and it's nice to be a bit lucky."
The scoreboard wasn't the only indicator of success on this day, however. Dressed in all pink uniforms, the Bulls raised $2,400 for the WBCA/Kay Yow Cancer Fund, making everyone involved big winners.
With the game hanging in the balance, the Bulls looked poised and were in control, but things changed quickly. The Bulls held a 55-51 lead with 3:51 remaining when Akron woke up and made its final charge.
Freshman guard Taylor Rupert connected on a trifecta on the ensuing possession to bring the Zips to within a point, 55-54. Baumgartner then took it from there, sinking a layup to take the lead and then hitting the 3-pointer to ice the game. The 6-foot 3-inch sophomore scored seven of her team's last nine points in the game and finished with a game-high 19 points while bringing down seven rebounds.
Bulls head coach Linda Hill-MacDonald thought her players were too relaxed and should have covered Baumgartner out on the perimeter.
"You've got to play the play," Hill-MacDonald said. "She had a wide open look and shot with confidence. You can't back off a player in a close game. We didn't play the moment."
The dominating play of junior forward Kourtney Brown continued despite the loss. The four-time MAC East Player of the Week scored 17 points and ripped down 13 rebounds in 33 minutes. She went 7-for-9 from the field and converted on 3-of-5 free throws on the game.
After a 3-point basket by freshman Chrissy Cooper, the Bulls led 7-2 and seemed energized behind a home crowd of 2,480, the largest of the season for a home game.
The Bulls sustained that energy and ended the first half shooting 50 percent from the field and took a 31-30 lead to the locker room.
Akron turned up the defensive pressure in the second half, holding the Bulls to 29 percent shooting from the field. Not only did the Zips play better defense, but their shots started to fall. The team made five 3-pointers in the second half, which proved to be crucial down the stretch.
Brown and company expected tough defense by Akron, but the Bulls have to be more prepared to handle the pressure and maintain their focus.
"Defensively they put a lot more pressure on us in the second half," Brown said. "In the second half, we were getting rushed by their pressure … Overall, we need to keep it calm."
The Bulls outrebounded Akron 40-31, 18 of which were offensive. Brown recorded her 14th double-double of the season and 24th of her career. She knew the matchup against Baumgartner would be difficult, but she utilized her skills to play well.
'[I] just kept her moving,' Brown said. 'She is bigger then me, so anytime that she has to work on offense or move to box me out, I'm at an advantage.'
Zips forward Kara Murphy also scored in double digits with 12 points. Senior forward Jolene Tamboue played well in the win, scoring eight points and grabbing nine rebounds.
Bulls guard Brittany Hedderson had a great game on both ends of the floor, scoring 14 points and recording four steals.
The Bulls get a week to recover from the loss, as they don't play again until Feb. 20. The team will travel to Miami (OH) to battle the RedHawks at noon.
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