Another MAC honor for the man in the middle on the Akron Zips' basketball team.

Senior center Zeke Marshall has picked up MAC East Division Player of the Week honors for the fourth time this season and the second time in as many weeks.

Marshall helped the Zips to two more victories last week to extend Akron's winning streak to a nation's best 13-straight games. He averaged 16 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 blocked shot per game during that stretch.

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For the fourth time this season and the second time in as many weeks, University of Akron senior center Zeke Marshall was named Mid-American Conference East Division Player of the Week, the league office announced on Monday.

Marshall also earned player of the week honors on Nov. 19 and Dec. 31. He is one of just two players to earn POW honors four times this season, joining Ohio's D.J. Cooper.

Marshall helped the Zips (17-4, 8-0) to two more victories last week to extend Akron's winning streak to a nation's best 13-straight games.

For the week, he averaged 16.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.0 assist and 1.0 blocked shot per game while connecting on a near-perfect 15-of-17 from the field (.882).

In Akron's 68-55 win at Bowling Green on Wednesday, Marshall posted 15 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field. Despite not recording a blocked shot, Marshall helped the Zips win the battle of the paint (36-26) and the rebounding battle (40-32).

In Akron's nationally-televised 86-72 win over Ohio on ESPNU on Saturday, Marshall was a perfect 8-of-8 shooting from the field for 17 points. He also grabbed 12 boards, blocked two shots and added two assists as the Zips held OU to just 32.2 percent shooting in the second half while adding nine points and eight boards over the final 20 minutes. Akron dominated the boards (40-22) and were +12 scoring in the paint (40-28).
The Zips return to action on Tuesday, Feb. 5, when they play host to Central Michigan at James A. Rhodes Arena. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. ET and the contest will air live on SportsTime Ohio.
 

A scorching hot offensive performance in the first half boosted The University of Akron women’s basketball team to a 96-82 win over Buffalo in the first round of the Mid-American Conference Tournament on Saturday at Rhodes Arena.

With the win, Akron (14-17) advances to the second round of the MAC Tournament and will play the winner of Western Michigan and Northern Illinois at 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland.

Junior Taylor Ruper – who scored 20 points on 6-of-8 shooting from three - broke the UA record for career 3-pointers and coach Jodi Kest recorded her 300^th career win in the victory.

Ruper’s trey with 1:11 to go in the first half was the 184^th of her career  – her sixth of the game - and moved her past Michelle Chavanne who made 183 threes from 1993-97. Ruper breaks the mark in her 88^th career game, while Chavanne played in 101 games for UA during her career.

Kest improves her career coaching record to 300-262 (.534) with the win and is now six wins shy of becoming Akron’s all-time wins leader.

Ruper was one of five Zips to score in double-figures, with Sina King scoring a team-high 21 points. Ti’eshia Stubbs (14 points), Carly Young (13), and Jasmine Mushington (10) also had productive games on the offensive end as UA shot 53.3-percent (32-of-60) from the floor in the game. The Zips were a season-best 11-of-21 (.524) from three and dished out a season-high 26 assists on its 32 field goals. Natasha Williams and Carly Young handed out six assists each.

Brittney Hedderson’s 31 points led Buffalo (9-22).

The first half was all Akron, as the Zips shot a scorching 62.5-percent from the field and were 10-of-15 (.667) from three. Ruper led the barrage with a 6-of-7 effort from behind the arc. It was the most points scored in a half by the Zips this season.

UA used a 7-for-7 start from the field to jump out to a 15-6 lead and did not miss its first shot until the 14:31 mark of the first half.

Buffalo would make it a four-point game, 23-19, halfway through the period, but Akron had the immediate answer. The Zips would score the next eight points to pull ahead by 12, 31-19, with 7:17 on the first half clock. UA would continue the run, making shot after shot and take a 58-33 lead into the locker room. The Zips outscored UB 38-14 in the final 10:00 before halftime.

Akron stretched its lead to as much as 32 on two occasions in the second half, the last on a Stubbs layup with 12:04 to go that made it 79-47. UB would mount a late charge but could only get as close as 89-78 with 1:01 to play.

Zips Notebook: In three meetings against Buffalo this season, Taylor Ruper is averaging 19.0 points … Ruper needs just three treys to break the record for 3-pointers made in a season, also held by Michelle Chavanne (91) … UA won its third straight MAC tournament opening round game … John Street (1982-89) is the current all-time wins leader at Akron with 79 victories … Akron also broke the school record for points scored in a season. The Zips have now scored 2,301 points in 2011-12, breaking the old mark of 2,223 set by the 1982-83 team.

The defending Mid-American Conference basketball champion University of Akron has released its 2011-2012 basketball schedule.

A highlight will be Akron hosting last year's Final Four participant Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) at James A. Rhodes Arena December 29th. Before that the Zips will travel to West Virginia to take on the Mountaineers, and former Akron coach Bob Huggins on November 28th.

The Zips open the season at home with an exhibition match-up with John Carroll on Nov. 3 before opening the regular season on the road on Nov. 9 for their first game of the 2K Sports Classic. The game’s opponent and location will be announced at a later time.

News release from the University of Akron

A visit from 2011 Final Four participant VCU and an appearance in the 2011 2K Sports Classic Benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer highlight the 2011-12 schedule for The University of Akron men’s basketball team, eighth-year head coach Keith Dambrot announced on Wednesday.

The slate includes 11 teams with 19-plus wins and 11 teams that played in the postseason in 2011, highlighted by the first team to appear at James A. Rhodes Arena in the season following its Final Four run.

“We have a very competitive schedule with some tough games both on the road and at home,” Dambrot said. “West Virginia will be in the top-20 while teams like VCU, Marshall, Middle Tennessee, Cleveland State and Detroit are favorites in their respective conferences.”

The Zips open the season at home with an exhibition match-up with John Carroll on Nov. 3 before opening the regular season on the road on Nov. 9 for their first game of the 2K Sports Classic. The game’s opponent and location will be announced at a later time.

Akron returns home on Nov. 12 to face Hiram College for the first time since the 1986-87 season before hitting the road once more to continue the 2K Sports Classic on Nov. 18-20. Those opponents also will be announced at a later date.

The squad closes out the month of November with a home contest against Detroit on Nov. 26 and a visit to Morgantown, W.Va., to face former Zips’ head coach Bob Huggins (1984-89) and West Virginia on Nov. 28. Akron defeated Detroit 77-69 last year in Detroit (Dec. 1, 2010).

The month of December sees the Zips play host to five teams following trips to Middle Tennessee (Dec. 4) and Cleveland State (Dec. 10). Akron will face Arkansas-Pine Bluff (Dec. 15), Florida A&M (Dec. 17), Youngstown State (Dec. 19) and North Carolina A&T (Dec. 21) at Rhodes Arena before taking a break for the holiday.

Akron closes out 2011 with a visit from former assistant coach Shaka Smart (2003-06) and VCU on Dec. 29. In addition to being the first Final Four program from the previous season to visit the JAR, the Rams will be the first to visit a Mid-American Conference program since the 1997-98 season (Kentucky at Ohio).

The new year will have Akron on the road in Huntington, W.Va., for a battle with former MAC foe Marshall on Jan. 1. The Zips’ final non-conference tilt will come in February when they hit the road for their ninth ESPNU BracketBusters contest. An opponent for that game will be announced in January.

The Zips open conference play with two road games – at Miami (Ohio) on Jan. 7 and at Bowling Green on Jan. 11 – before returning home to face off against Ohio on Jan. 14. The trip to Bowling Green will be the first visit to the Stroh Center for the Zips. Akron closes out its first swing through the MAC East with a road game at Buffalo (Jan. 18) and a home meeting with rival Kent State (Jan. 21).

The MAC West portion of the schedule will have Akron on the road to face Ball State (Jan. 24) and Central Michigan (Jan. 28) before home dates with Toledo (Feb. 1) and Eastern Michigan (Jan. 4). The Zips will close out cross-divisional play at Western Michigan on Feb. 8 and at home against Northern Illinois on Feb. 11.

Akron will enter the homestretch with return visits from Miami (Ohio) (Feb. 15) and Bowling Green (Feb. 22) before traveling to Ohio on Feb. 25. The squad closes out conference play with Senior Day against Buffalo on Feb. 29 and the season finale at Kent State on either March 2 or 3.

The MAC Tournament will take place March 7-10, 2012, at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, with opening round games at campus sites on March 5. This season, the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds will earn a bye into the semifinals while the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds earn a bye into the quarterfinals.

The Zips enter the 2011-12 season following their second trip to the NCAA Tournament in the last three seasons after knocking off neighborhood rival Kent State 66-65 in overtime in the MAC title game on March 12. UA fell to Notre Dame in the second round of the NCAA Tournament to finish the season with a 23-13 record.

Akron has posted six-straight 20-win seasons, just one of 20 Division I programs to accomplish the feat during that stretch, and has advanced to five-straight conference title games – the third-longest active streak in the nation (Gonzaga 14, Butler 6). The Zips have advanced to the postseason in four-straight and five of the last six seasons, participating in the NCAA Tournament in 2009 and 2011, the National Invitation Tournament in 2006 and 2008, and the CBI in 2010.

2011-12 University of Akron Men’s Basketball Schedule                   

Thurs., Nov. 3 – John Carroll (Exhibition)
Wed., Nov. 9 – at 2K Sports Classic
Sat., Nov. 12 – Hiram
Fri., Nov. 18-20 – at 2K Sports Classic
Sat., Nov. 26 – Detroit
Mon., Nov. 28 – at West Virginia
Sun., Dec. 4 – at Middle Tennessee
Sat., Dec. 10 – at Cleveland State
Thurs., Dec. 15 – Arkansas-Pine Bluff
Sat., Dec. 17 – Florida A&M
Mon., Dec. 19 – Youngstown State
Wed., Dec. 21 – North Carolina A&T
Thurs., Dec. 29 – VCU
Sun., Jan. 1 – at Marshall
Sat., Jan. 7 – at Miami (Ohio)*
Wed., Jan. 11 – at Bowling Green*
Sat., Jan. 14 – Ohio*
Wed., Jan. 18 – at Buffalo*
Sat., Jan. 21 – Kent State*
Tues., Jan. 24 – at Ball State*
Sat., Jan. 28 – at Central Michigan*
Wed., Feb. 1 – Toledo*
Sat., Feb. 4 – Eastern Michigan
Wed., Feb. 8 – at Western Michigan*
Sat., Feb. 11 – Northern Illinois*
Wed., Feb. 15 – Miami (Ohio)*
Sat., Feb. 18 – at ESPNU BracketBusters
Wed., Feb. 22 – Bowling Green*
Sat., Feb. 25 – at Ohio*
Wed., Feb. 29 – Buffalo*
Fri./Sat., March 2-3 – at Kent State*
Mon., March 5 – MAC Tournament Opening Round, Campus Sites
March 7-10 – MAC Tournament, Quicken Loans Arena