Junior forward Reagan Bass and redshirt senior guard Morgan Haney set an aggressive tone for the University of Akron women's basketball team Saturday afternoon.
And Akron capitalized with a 69-54 victory over Mid-American Conference foe Northern Illinois at Rhodes Arena.
"We're fueled by our defense," Zips coach Ryan Gensler said. "You defend and rebound and good things happen. I thought we defended at a really good rate."
In a coincidence befitting the Zips' assertive style, the officiating crew stopped the game for several minutes with 1:28 remaining in the second quarter because the court needed to be sanitized.
A Northern Illinois player appeared to suffer a cut on a finger, prompting the public address announcer to notify the crowd, "We have blood on the floor." A staff member from each school used a towel to clean the court.
Meanwhile, the Zips (10-17, 5-11) broke out the proverbial broom, earning a regular-season sweep of the Huskies (13-15, 6-10). Akron also captured a 61-59 win at Northern Illinois on Jan. 27.
The rematch wasn't nearly as close.
Akron vs. Northern Illinois men's hoops: Zips maintain first place in Mid-American Conference by holding off Huskies
By winning Saturday, Akron moved into a tie with Miami for ninth place in the MAC with two regular-season games left. Northern Illinois is in eighth place. The top eight teams will qualify for the MAC Tournament, which is scheduled to begin March 13 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland.
Akron played like a team determined to stay alive.
"It's tough because you go into a game and you know that there's an opportunity to win and to go to the tournament, but you don't want to put too much pressure on it," Haney said. "So I think there's been a balance of that, and we're pretty cognizant of it. It's kind of lingering in our minds, but I think we go into a game and we're just trying to focus on the game. How it pans out is how it pans out, and today it was good."
Haney represented the team's seniors well on UA's senior day, compiling 15 points, six rebounds and five assists.
Bass led the Zips with a double-double. She posted a game-high 25 points and 11 rebounds to go along with four blocked shots and three steals.
"Having a good game always builds your confidence, but I think it's more important that it's building that trust within the team," Bass said. "So it's, 'OK, my guards do see me. They do notice.' Now I can make the extra pass to them. They know I'm going to kick the ball out to them. So it builds our chemistry."
Akron outscored Northern Illinois 18-12 in the third quarter and never faced a serious threat in the final quarter.
UA outscored Northern Illinois 22-12 in the paint through the first two quarters, a major factor in the Zips earning a 38-32 halftime lead.
The Zips controlled the vast majority of the first half and were efficient out of the gate. They shot 11 of 17 from the field (64.7%) in the opening quarter and led 24-18 heading into the second quarter.
UA finished 27-of-61 shooting from the field (44.3%) and had three players score in double figures: Bass, Haney and freshman guard Teniesha Clarke (11 points).
Northern Illinois made 20 of its 61 field-goal attempts (32.8%). Redshirt junior guard Sidney McCrea and senior forward Brooke Stonebraker led the Huskies with 12 and 11 points, respectively.
"Our defense really propelled our offense," Gensler said.
Akron will end the regular season with a home game against Ohio on Wednesday and a road game at Central Michigan on March 9.
More MAC basketball coverage: Kent State men's team hasn't met expectations, yet coach Rob Senderoff still believes
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Akron Zips stay alive in MAC women's basketball race
