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Hard-fought victory instills team with confidence
By Michael Beaven
Special to the Beacon Journal
Published on Tuesday, Nov 18, 2008
The University of Akron women's basketball team has experienced nine consecutive losing seasons.
None of those losses mattered much Monday night at Rhodes Arena.
The Zips battled hard and earned a 58-49 win over Michigan (1-1) in front of 429 fans.
It's UA's first win in a season-opening game since Nov. 17, 2000, (58-51 over host UM-Eastern Shore) and the program's second win against a Big Ten school (70-67 over host Indiana on Nov. 21, 1998 was the first).
Freshman reserve center Kyle Baumgartner, a North Canton Hoover graduate, led the Zips (1-0) with 14 points and 10 rebounds. UA senior reserve forward Ashley Veal (Wadsworth) contributed 12 points and four rebounds, and junior center Victoria Arndt (West Branch) had seven points and six rebounds.
''It's a big win in that it gives them a lot of confidence,'' UA third-year coach Jodi Kest said. ''They believe in each other and it's not about one player. We have a lot of talent on this team and we try real hard to not talk about the past. We are focused on the present.''
The Zips (1-0) trailed 38-37 with 11:53 remaining and then went on a 17-5 scoring run to take a 54-43 lead with 1:22 left.
''We have been struggling for the past few years, but this win opens up our eyes and shows we can have a great year,'' Veal said.
UA freshman guard Ayla Guzzardo and freshman forward Jasmine Mushington started the rally with a basket
each. Sophomore forward Kara Murphy (St. Vincent-St. Mary) and freshman guard Natasha Williams each converted a free throw, Baumgartner made two free throws and junior forward Jolene Tamboue made a layup to cap the initial 10-0 surge that made the score 47-38.
''On paper, we were the underdog,'' Kest said. ''Michigan is a Big Ten team and Akron is a MAC team. They're bigger, stronger and quicker, but I told the girls they put their shoes and uniforms on just like we do. We went in with the mindset of as long as the people in this room believe we can win, we can do it.''
Sophomore guard Amanda Sedlack also contributed to the decisive 17-5 spurt that lifted the Zips, who return just four letterwinners and two starters from last season.
''(The win) starts our season out the right way,'' Baumgartner said. ''We have an entirely new team this year.''
Michigan led 26-23 at halftime. UA went on a 5-0 run to open the second half to take a 28-26 lead after Murphy made a jumper and Arndt nailed a 3-pointer.
''At halftime, I told the team 'we could win,' '' Veal said. ''On paper we were the underdogs, but we knew we could win. Being a senior, this is one of my highlights.''
Senior forwards Carly Benson (13 points) and Stephany Skrba (10 points) paced the Wolverines, who have 10 letterwinners and three starters back from last season.
The University of Akron women's basketball team has experienced nine consecutive losing seasons.
Get the full article here.
Comments
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Posted 10:55 AM, 11/18/2008
why would you even put how many fans there were? I was there and it was a good time regardless but still 429?
