No. 6 Akron Zips fall to No. 3 Ball State, likely ending Melissa Jackson's time as coach
The sixth-seeded Akron Zips struggled to contain the high-powered offense of No. 3 Ball State in a 92-68 loss Wednesday in the quarterfinals of the Mid-American Conference women's basketball tournament at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.
It was the final game of coach Melissa Jackson's tenure at UA unless the Zips play in a postseason tournament like the NIT.
Jackson has been Akron's coach since 2018. The school has announced she will not return for the 2023-2024 season, though no reason has been given. The school also recently closed an investigation stemming from a complaint filed by one of her ex-Zips players, which she had denied. Jackson was never sidelined for anything relating to the complaint or the investigation.
After the MAC Tournament loss, two seniors reflected on their time with Jackson at the helm of the Zips program, with it now likely she has coached her last game.
"Coach Jackson means the absolute world to me. The absolute world," senior Molly Neitzel told reporters in Cleveland. "She is a friend, a coach, someone I can go to whenever I need something, and I'm so thankful for her. … I'm so thankful I was able to play under her. Definitely going to call her up even after this and see her kids and her."
Neitzel finished with seven points and seven rebounds. Forward Reagan Bass scored a team-high 24 points to go along with seven rebounds. Guard Dominique Camp had 18 points, and senior Rachel Martindale finished with 10 points and five rebounds.
"Words really don't describe the last four years. It's been fun. It's been a ride," Martindale said. "You talk about how good she was a coach, how smart she is … but after these four years are over, nobody remembers that. Everyone remembers what a good person she was and how she was constantly there for us whenever we needed it and it never doubted us, and she was always on our side. She'd always fight for us, and that's what I look back on."
After the loss, Jackson commended her seniors, particularly Martindale.
"Rachel, the leader of our locker room," Jackson said. "The door was open at halftime, so I got to hear some of the stuff she said, and that was a true captain and a true leade,r and I have no doubt that her message in that locker room really inspired our girls to come out the way that they did in that second half."
Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ByRyanLewis.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Akron Zips, Melissa Jackson fall to Ball State in MAC Tournament
