AKRON, Ohio - The Western Michigan women's basketball team dropped a second consecutive Mid-American Conference road contest on Saturday, Feb. 9, at the University of Akron, falling 69-62. 

A back-and-forth output between the Broncos and Zips resulted in 10 lead changes as well as 10 instances in which the score was tied.

Down 32-25 at halftime, WMU fought back to outscore the home team 17-15 in the third quarter, once claiming a three-point advantage as a three-pointer from Kamrin Reed gave the Brown & Gold a 49-46 lead with three minutes left in the third quarter. However, Akron found a way to hang on and maintain a lead in the final minutes.

"We did a lot of things right," said head coach Shane Clipfell. "We didn't defend the drive as well as I think we're capable of, but we executed well down the stretch with trying to get some three-point shots at the end. They just didn't go in."

The Zips shot 46.4 percent (26-of-56) from the field, compared to a 41 percent mark (25-of-61) from the Broncos. Akron led in rebounds 34-33.

WMU had three starters score in double figures, with sophomore Leighah-Amori Wool leading the way with 17 points, two points shy of her career-high. Deja Wimby was one rebound away from a double-double with 16 points and a team-high nine rebounds while adding five assists. Jasmyn Walker followed with 11 points.

Both squads shot efficiently in the first ten minutes. The Broncos were paced by a 5-of-9 shooting effort from three-point range, led by a trio from Wool.

WMU grabbed its first lead since early in the contest at 25-24 with a Wool jumper three minutes into the second quarter. Akron outscored the Broncos 11-7 throughout the remainder of the half to claim a 35-32 lead at the break.  

Wimby guided the Brown & Gold on a 12-9 run to open the second half, tying the game at 44-44 at the first media timeout with 4:33 left in the third quarter with a layup.

Reed's three-pointer that gave the Broncos a three-point lead was the largest gap they held for the remainder of time. WMU twice tied the contest in the final 10 minutes. A Walker layup with 4:25 left on the game clock knotted the game at 58-58. Akron answered, however, with a 6-0 run and sealed the win late.  

"As tough as it is to keep suffering the losses, I think this team is still making progress and I still think we can get to a point come March where we can be a dangerous team," Clipfell commented.

Up Next
Western Michigan, now 8-12 overall and 2-7 in the MAC, returns to University Arena next Wednesday, Feb. 13, hosting in-state rival Central Michigan University at 7 p.m.  

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