The University of Akron women’s basketball team fell to the Toledo Rockets 73-65 in the MAC Conference quarterfinals Wednesday night.

The loss caps the Zips’ season and ends the career of one of if not the greatest Akron women’s basketball player, Kara Murphy.

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The University of Akron women’s basketball team fell to the Toledo Rockets 73-65 in the MAC Conference quarterfinals Wednesday night.

The loss caps the Zips’ season and ends the career of one of if not the greatest Akron women’s basketball player, Kara Murphy.

Murphy and company did not play short of expectations, as they held a seven-point lead midway through the second half. The lead would not stick for the Zips, as the Rockets made several late second-half runs, ending in the eight-point victory.

I think we gave Toledo a run for their money, said Head Coach Jodi Kest.

The back-and-forth first half, highlighted by a 13-0 run by the Zips, ended knotted up at 32.

All-MAC First Team selection Rachel Tecca made her first bucket of the game in the opening minute of the second half, giving Akron the early advantage.

Akron would go on to score the first eight points of the second 20 minutes, but the Rockets did not allow the lead to get any larger, chipping away at the deficit for the first 12 minutes of the half.

Toledo took the lead with seven minutes to go and would not look back, never trailing from that point on.

We fought for 40 minutes, said Kest. These young ladies have been my most enjoyable group since I’ve got to Akron.

  The four-year career of Murphy came to an end Wednesday night, but she leaves behind a solid group of underclassmen that look to make future runs in the MAC tournament.

Next year, we come back, and these young ladies have the experience of the Q, said Kest.

The 2010-11 Zips’ starting lineup featured freshman Carly Young, sophomores Taylor Ruper and Tecca and junior Natasha Williams. All will return next season in what has the potential to be a great season for the lady Zips.

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