Saturday was a historic night for the women’s basketball team as they took down Ball State 78-65. Kara Murphy broke the school record for career games played and career starts, and Taylor Ruper set the school record for most three-pointers made in a game.
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Saturday was a historic night for the women’s basketball team as they took down Ball State 78-65. Kara Murphy broke the school record for career games played and career starts, and Taylor Ruper set the school record for most three-pointers made in a game.
Murphy was honored before the game for her four-year career, totaling 116 starts, and Ruper hit eight threes in the 13-point victory.
I was just feeling feeling it, said Ruper, who drained the eight threes on only ten shots.
Ruper and Murphy, as well as forward Rachel Tecca, each hit double digits in the scoring column. Ruper lead the way with 26 points.
An 18-7 run midway through the first half, carried by a triplet of triples from Ruper, pushed the Zips to a 41-28 lead at the half. The Zips also forced 15 turnovers in the half, creating 20 points off takeaways.
Shooting 16-for-32 in the half was key to the Lady Zips building the double digit lead at halftime. Ruper added 20 points in the first 20 minutes, making 6-of-8 shots behind the arc.
Akron built a 15-point lead in the second half, only to see it fall to six after a string of buckets by the Cardinals. The lead never fell to less than six though, as the Zips built the lead back up to as much as 19, deep into the second half. The Zips coasted to the victory from there on out as the clock ticked under three minutes to play.
It was a total team effort, said Kest, who saw her team improve to 11-12 (4-7 MAC).
Akron shot 28-for-60 (46.7 percent) for the game, knocking down 11-of-16 three-point shots. The Zips also forced 22 turnovers on the Cardinals offense as Akron picked up their second straight win.
It’s nice to get a W, especially this time of the year, said Kest. The Zips have five more games until MAC Tournament play begins.
Murphy’s 116th start broke Cheryl Bowles’ record for career games played and career starts. Bowles was honored pre-game with an unveiling of a banner in the rafters at James A. Rhodes Arena. Bowles is still the all-time leading scorer in Akron women’s basketball history.
The Zips head to Buffalo Wednesday, as Murphy looks to make her 117th consecutive start. The women will try to make it three in a row, which would make it their third three-game winning streak of the season.
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