AKRON, Ohio – Western Michigan women's basketball battled for a huge road win this evening over the Akron Zips by a final score of 57-53. The victory moves the Broncos to 12-6 on the season, and 6-3 in Mid-American Conference play. It is also WMU's seventh road win of the season.

The game was back and forth for much of the night with a total of six lead changes and four ties in the contest. The first quarter belonged to Akron (9-7, 6-4 MAC), as the Zips held a 20-13 advantage thanks to a pair of late layups from UA's Jordyn Dawson. Despite trailing, six different Broncos contributed points and the team shot 40% from deep in the game's initial 10 minutes.

The second quarter swung in favor of WMU 10-9 as the forward duo of redshirt senior Reilly Jacobson and redshirt sophomore Taylor Williams scored six points and four points, respectively, to cut the Akron lead by one and go into the break facing a 29-23 deficit.

The last two quarters of play were all Western Michigan as the Broncos outscored the Zips 34-24 in the final 20 minutes. WMU took their first lead of the contest with just over six minutes remaining in the third period, and the game was very much back and forth for its remainder. Down six with two minutes left in the third, the Broncos cut the Akron lead to two entering the fourth thanks to a pair of free throws and a bucket from Taylor Williams.

Western Michigan owned the final period of play, holding the advantage on the scoreboard for over eight of the fourth quarter's 10 minutes. WMU recaptured the lead at the 8:28 mark after a Reilly Jacobson layup off a feed from senior guard Maddie Watters, and did not relinquish their edge despite Akron trailing by a single point at four different times during the fourth.

The Broncos stepped up tonight to make plays down the stretch when it mattered most. After Akron cashed in from three-point range to bring themselves within one, sophomore guard Hannah Spitzley found nylon on a three of her own, again off an assist from Watters. Reilly Jacobson sank a pair of much-needed free throws just under the five-minute mark, and dug in to play great defense in the game's final stretch. Sophomore guard Lauren Ross pushed the lead to three courtesy of a layup with 1:17 remaining before Akron responded with a basket of their own, forcing a Bronco timeout.

Following the timeout with just 38 ticks left, the two teams traded empty possessions before Ross drew a foul and again stretched the Broncos' advantage to three via two all-net free throws. The Zips attempted to tie the game with a three, but failed to connect as Taylor Williams pulled in her final board of the evening and split the foul shot attempts on the other end to seal the WMU victory.

Western Michigan was driven offensively by Taylor Williams, Reilly Jacobson, and Lauren Ross, who each finished with 16 points in the outing. In addition to her scoring, Williams grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds, sent three Akron shot attempts back, and swiped a pair of steals in her 28 game minutes. Jacobson added six rebounds, four dimes, and four steals of her own, while Ross snatched three rebounds and was perfect from the charity stripe, converting on all four of her attempts.

As a group, the Broncos scored 24 points in the painted area, and won the battle of second chance points over the Zips, 13-2. Akron's two second chance points are the fewest any opponent has scored against WMU this season after their first shot attempt of the possession. Western Michigan also got out in transition for 11 points and pulled in 39 rebounds collectively. The WMU defense swarmed this evening as well, holding the Zips under 30 percent from the field in the final three quarters of play, including a 1-11 (9.1 percent) shooting performance in the second period.

Tonight's win also marks 400 career victories for head coach Shane Clipfell across the collegiate and high school levels. Clipfell exclaimed post-game that it was a win he will never forget, which was very well received by the rest of the team and staff. Congratulations to Coach Clipfell on a very impressive accomplishment.

The Broncos will have some time to refresh with consecutive days off before gearing back up to host the Miami RedHawks for their second meeting of the season on Saturday. Tip-off inside University Arena on Feb. 5 is set for 2 p.m. and will be available for streaming via ESPN+. Students get into all WMU home games free with a valid Bronco ID, and tickets can be found at www.wmubroncos.com/tickets or by calling 1-888-4-WMU-TIX.

Saturday's matchup will also include a celebration of the 50^th anniversary of Title IX, as well as National Girls and Women in Sports Day, featuring an interactive skills showcase with other WMU varsity teams. Festivities begin at 12:30 p.m.

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