PHILADELPHIA (Interstat) — Akron used a dominant first half to defeat Le Moyne 94-68 in a nonconference women’s basketball game Sunday at Hagan Arena. The Zips built a 53-33 halftime lead behind 27 first-quarter points and never trailed. Monique Mitchell scored 20 points for Akron, and Keiryn McGuff added 20 points and four rebounds. Shaena Brew contributed 11 points and five assists. Jessica Wangolo led the Dolphins with eight points. Le Moyne, which fell to 1-11, kept pace after halftime but could not overcome the early deficit. Akron improved to 3-9. The Zips shot efficiently from the floor, while the Dolphins struggled with their shooting percentages. Akron next hosts Ball State on Dec. 31. Le Moyne hosts SUNY Geneseo on Dec. 30.

PHILADELPHIA (Interstat) — The Akron Zips used a dominant offensive performance and a decisive third-quarter surge to pull away from the Le Moyne Dolphins for a 94-68 victory in a nonconference women’s basketball game Sunday at Hagan Arena. The game, a neutral-site contest for both teams, saw Akron improve its record to 3-9 overall, while Le Moyne dropped to 1-11. The most important stretch of the game came early in the third quarter, when Akron effectively put the contest out of reach. Leading 33-28 at halftime, the Zips opened the second half with an 11-2 run over the first four minutes. The burst was fueled by Monique Mitchell, who scored five points during the stretch, including a layup off a Le Moyne turnover. The Dolphins, who had stayed within striking distance in the first half behind Sierra Linnin’s scoring, could not counter the surge. Akron’s lead ballooned to 20 points by the end of the third quarter and never dipped below 17 in the final period. Akron’s offensive efficiency was the story of the game. The Zips shot 58.8% from the field and 52.2% from 3-point range, converting 12 of 23 attempts from beyond the arc. They also capitalized at the free-throw line, making 22 of 29. Le Moyne, by contrast, shot 47.2% overall and 40% on 3-pointers but was hampered by 16 turnovers, which Akron converted into 22 points. The Zips also won the battle on the boards, out-rebounding the Dolphins 31-22. Sierra Linnin, a guard from Valley Cottage, New York, led all scorers with 24 points for Le Moyne, adding two rebounds and two assists in 30 minutes. Eli Clark of Oakhurst, New Jersey, contributed 12 points for the Dolphins. Akron’s attack was balanced and potent, featuring four players scoring in double figures. Keiryn McGuff of Dublin, Ohio, and Monique Mitchell of South Bend, Indiana, each scored 20 points. Mitchell added three rebounds and three assists, while McGuff had four rebounds. Izzy Callaway from Copley, Ohio, added 14 points, and Shaena Brew of Rialto, California, filled the stat sheet with 11 points, four rebounds and five assists. Corinne Reed of Chicago was a force defensively and on the glass, pulling down seven rebounds to go with eight points, five assists and a block. The game began with Akron setting an immediate tone, as Mitchell hit a 3-pointer on the opening possession. Le Moyne hung tough in the first half, with Linnin scoring 11 points before the break, and the Dolphins trailed by just five at halftime. But Akron’s sharp shooting and defensive pressure in the third quarter created the separation that defined the final outcome. The Zips finished the game with an offensive rating of 134.7 points per 100 possessions, a mark of high efficiency, while Le Moyne posted a 97.5 rating. Akron also recorded seven steals and three blocks, led by Ni’Rah Clark’s two blocks and two steals. Le Moyne will look to rebound when it hosts SUNY Geneseo on Dec. 30. Akron returns home to open Mid-American Conference play against Ball State on Dec. 31.