Women’s basketball (10-5) convincingly beat Akron (4-10) 77-55 at James A. Rhodes Arena in Akron, OH Wednesday night.
Sophomore guard Dyaisha Fair led all scorers with 24 points, four assists, three rebounds, and three steals while shooting 42% from the field and 40% from three-point range. By halftime, Fair had scored 11 of the Bulls’ 28 points. Sophomore center Elea Gaba scored 15 points and grabbed four rebounds while shooting five of six from the free throw line in just 19 minutes of play. Junior forward Zena Elias dominated on the boards, grabbing 16 total rebounds and 11 points on 71% shooting.
The Bulls started off slow, shooting just 19% in the first quarter as they found themselves trailing 20-9 at the end of one frame. UB’s shots began falling in the second quarter, as the Bulls took their first lead with just 30 seconds remaining in the first half. The Bulls held the Zips to only six second-quarter points and outrebounded Akron 18 to 12 to end the half.
After an aggressive end to the first half, UB came out with even more intensity in the second. With 7:25 remaining in the third quarter, UB led 34-31. After four straight buckets, UB went on a 15-8 run to end the quarter.
Sophomore guard Jessica Schiffer drained two contested jump shots in a row for the Bulls to start the final quarter, and it was just the beginning. The Bulls went on to outscore Akron 28 to 16 in the final frame.
Akron senior forward Jordyn Dawson led her team in nearly every category, scoring 16 points on 44% shooting along with seven rebounds, seven assists and three steals. Sophomore guard Molly Neitzel made four of seven shots, scoring 10 points and grabbing seven rebounds in 24 minutes of play.
Despite starting the game on a tear, the Zips’ shooting woes and lack of ball control led to the Bulls’ dominant fourth quarter. UB improved its second-half field goal percentage, ending the game at 42% as a team.
UB will look to build on the win when they host Eastern Michigan on Saturday at 1 P.M. at Alumni Arena. The game will air on ESPN+.
Hunter Skoczylas is the assistant sports editor and can be reached at hunter.skoczylas@ubspectrum.com
Hunter Skoczylas is the sports editor for The Spectrum. In his free time, he can be found looking up random sports statistics, jamming to Fleetwood Mac and dedicating his Sunday afternoons to watching the Buffalo Bills.
