Women's Basketball Makes Cross-Country Trip to Face Tarheels
11/26/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 26, 2015
NORTH CAROLINA TARHEELS (4-3) VS. GONZAGA BULLDOGS (4-2)
GAME 7 | NOV. 29 | 11 A.M. PT| MOHEGAN SUN ARENA | UNCASVILLE, CT
SERIES: Series tied at 1-1 (Both meetings were on neutral courts)
FIRST MEETING: Nov. 25, 2006: 63-101 in Honolulu, Hawaii
LAST MEETING: March 20, 2010: 82-76 in Seattle, Wash.
LIVE VIDEO:ESPN3 (Play-by-Play: Robert Lee/Color Commentary: Julianne Viani)
LIVE RADIO: Toyota Gonzaga IMG - Fox Sports 790 KJRB (Play-by-Play: Steve Myklebust)
LIVE STATS: GoZags.com
ZAGS HEAD TO BASKETBALL'S BIRTHPLACE FOR HALL OF FAME CHALLENGE
- Gonzaga completes its four-game slate in the 2015 Naismith Hall of Fame Women's Challenge Sunday.
- This game marks the first time the Bulldogs have ever played in the state of Connecticut.
- This is only the second trip GU has ever made to the New England region. The last time was in the 2012 NCAA Tournament when the Zags fell to Kentucky in the Sweet 16 in Kingston, R.I.
- On this trip, Gonzaga will also have the opportunity to visit the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass.
- The 2,705-mile trek to Uncasville is slightly longer than the 2,509-mile trip from Hamilton, N.Y., which GU has on Dec. 13.
GONZAGA STORYLINES
- Shelby Cheslek's 164 career blocks are three away from second in program history. The senior is 30th in the nation averaging 2.7 blocks per game. She also eclipsed 700 rebounds in her career versus USC, and is now sixth all-time in GU history.
- On defense, GU is 40th in the nation averaging 5.7 blocks per game and 45th in three-point field goal defense (23.9%).
- GU has a +10.5 rebound-margin, which is 38th in the country. The Zags have outrebounded all of their opponents so far.
- The Bulldogs are 42nd in the country in scoring defense, allowing only 52.8 points per game so far this season.
- Under Head Coach Lisa Fortier, Gonzaga is 26-0 when it scores at least 70 points, and 4-10 when it does not.
- Gonzaga is currently second in the nation in accumulative attendance with 32,911 fans in the first six games. The 5,485 average is 12th in the country, while the 91.4 percent filled to capacity is third.
ABOUT THE TARHEELS
- After falling in its first two games of the season, North Carolina reeled off four consecutive wins, before falling to fellow West Coast Conference member Pacific Wednesday, 66-63.
- As a team, UNC is 16th in the country with a 78.9 free-throw percentage.
- 87.5 percent of the Tarheels' scoring this season has come from its starters.
- Destinee Walker (5-10, Fr.) leads UNC at 16.1 points per game. She has made 22 of her 23 free-throws so far.
- Jamie Cherry (5-8, So.) and Stephanie Watts (5-11, Fr.) are contributing 15.6 and 12.3 points per outing. Cherry is shooting 43 percent behind-the-arc (12-for-28) and has made 39 of her 44 free-throws (89 percent) this season.
- Hillary Summers (6-2, RJr.) (10.0 ppg, 7.7 rpg) and N'Dea Bryant (6-0, Sr.) (8.1 ppg, 7.7 rpg) are also threats for opponents.
SERIES HISTORY
- Gonzaga and North Carolina have meet twice and both games have been on neutral floors.
- The Tarheels cruised to a 101-63 win in the first meeting in the 2006 Rainbow Wahine Showdown in Honolulu.
- In the last matchup, the 7th-seeded Zags beat 10th-seeded UNC, 82-76, in the First Round of the 2010 NCAA Tournament.
CHASING MILESTONES
- Cheslek is third in program history with 164 blocks, three away from second.
- She is also sixth in GU history with 702 rebounds.
Players Mentioned
Center
/ Women's BasketballThursday, March 28
Monday, March 25
Sunday, March 24
Saturday, March 23
