Friday, March 18
Louisville, Ky.
12:30 p.m.
Gonzaga University
vs
8-Seed Nebraska
WBB: No. 9 Seed Gonzaga Plays No. 8 Seed Nebraska
3/14/2022 1:16:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Tipoff is slated for 12:30 p.m. Pacific Time on Friday, March 18, in Louisville, Ky.
9-Seed Gonzaga (26-6) vs. 8-seed Nebraska (24-8)
FRIDAY, MARCH 18 | 12:30 P.M. | KFC YUM! CENTER | LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY
TELEVISION: ESPN NEWS
LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS
THE TIP OFF
- The Gonzaga Bulldogs have been selected as a 9-seed in the Wichita Region and meet Nebraska in the first round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament in Louisville, Kentucky. This is the second-ever meeting between Gonzaga and Nebraska, with Nebraska winning their only meeting, 87-40, in Lincoln.
- GU won its 10th WCC Tournament Title last week in Vegas with a 71-59 win over No. 15 BYU. The win was Gonzaga's first ranked win since Dec. 17, 2019, versus No. 20/17 Missouri State. It was also the highest ranked win since Dec. 2, 2018 versus No. 8/7 Stanford.
- Melody Kempton was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player while Kaylynne Truong was tabbed to the All-Tournament team.
- With the WCC Title win, Gonzaga improved to 26-6 overall. It marked the 10th overall WCC Tournament Title for GU and head coach Lisa Fortier's fourth at the helm. Gonzaga also moves to 11-4 overall in the tournament under Fortier.
- Senior Melody Kempton leads the team with 10.9 points and 6.3 rebounds a game. She also has recorded 26 steals this season. Senior Anamaria Virjoghe leads the team in blocks with 43 as sophomore Yvonne Ejim is right behind her with 42. Ejim also leads the team in steals with 44 as she averages 20.5 minutes off the bench.
- Cierra Walker is ranked 10th in the country and first in the WCC in three-point field-goal percentage as she has averaged 43.6 percent so far this year.
- Melody Kempton is currently second in the conference in field-goal percentage at 54 percent. The mark is currently ranked first in program history for Gonzaga women's basketball.
- From the charity stripe, the Zags have made 410 this season and are second in the WCC in free-throw percentage (77.2 percent), which also ranks 18th in the nation.
- Defensively, the Bulldogs are first in the conference in scoring defense with 55.8 points, also good for 27th in the country. From beyond the arc, Gonzaga is shooting at 35.4 percent, which is also first in the WCC.
- The Zags are averaging 39 rebounds a game and a 10.3 rebound margin, which ranks sixth in the nation and both marks rank first in the WCC.
GAME AT A GLANCE
SERIES INFO: The Zags and the Cornhuskers have only played one time in program history.
STREAK: Nebraska -1
FIRST MEETING: Nebraska defeated the Zags in 1996 in the Cablevision Classic, 87-40. The game took place in Lincoln, Nebraska
SEEDING IN NCAA: This is the first time GU has been selected as a No. 9 seed in the NCAA Tournament and also marks the first time the team will compete against a No. 8 seed.
TOP SEED IN REGION: The No. 1 seed in Gonzaga's region is Louisville. The Zags also took on the Cardinals in the tournament back in 2011, when No. 11 GU defeated No. 7 Louisville, 76-69.
SCOUTING THE CORNHUSKERS
- Nebraska, which owns the most victories of any Big Ten team this season, will carry a 24-8 record and a No. 23 NET ranking into the postseason.
- Second-team All-Big Ten selections Jaz Shelley (Moe, Australia) and Alexis Markowski (Lincoln, Neb.), the Big Ten Freshman of the Year, headline a starting five that includes honorable-mention
All-Big Ten choices Sam Haiby (Moorhead, Minn.) and Isabelle Bourne (Canberra, Australia) along with freshman Allison Weidner (Humphrey, Neb.).
- The Huskers, who went 11-7 in the Big Ten before advancing to the semifinals in the conference tournament, tied a program record by notching three wins over Associated Press Top 10 teams in 2021-22, including a pair of victories over No. 8/10 Michigan and a 72-55 win over No. 5 Indiana.
- In addition to a strong starting five, Nebraska features one of the deepest benches in the Big Ten led by Bella Cravens (Laie, Hawaii), MiCole Cayton (Stockton, Calif.), Annika Stewart (Plymouth, Minn.), Ruby Porter (Adelaide, Australia), Kendall Coley (Minneapolis, Minn.), Kendall Moriarty (Wheaton,Ill.) and the leader of the bench mob Whitney Brown (Grand Island, Neb.).
- Gonzaga and Nebraska had two common foes this season, including WCC's San Diego and Mountain West's Wyoming. Nebraska defeated USD 64-56 andalso won 72-61 over Wyoming.
FRIDAY, MARCH 18 | 12:30 P.M. | KFC YUM! CENTER | LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY
TELEVISION: ESPN NEWS
LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS
THE TIP OFF
- The Gonzaga Bulldogs have been selected as a 9-seed in the Wichita Region and meet Nebraska in the first round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament in Louisville, Kentucky. This is the second-ever meeting between Gonzaga and Nebraska, with Nebraska winning their only meeting, 87-40, in Lincoln.
- GU won its 10th WCC Tournament Title last week in Vegas with a 71-59 win over No. 15 BYU. The win was Gonzaga's first ranked win since Dec. 17, 2019, versus No. 20/17 Missouri State. It was also the highest ranked win since Dec. 2, 2018 versus No. 8/7 Stanford.
- Melody Kempton was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player while Kaylynne Truong was tabbed to the All-Tournament team.
- With the WCC Title win, Gonzaga improved to 26-6 overall. It marked the 10th overall WCC Tournament Title for GU and head coach Lisa Fortier's fourth at the helm. Gonzaga also moves to 11-4 overall in the tournament under Fortier.
- Senior Melody Kempton leads the team with 10.9 points and 6.3 rebounds a game. She also has recorded 26 steals this season. Senior Anamaria Virjoghe leads the team in blocks with 43 as sophomore Yvonne Ejim is right behind her with 42. Ejim also leads the team in steals with 44 as she averages 20.5 minutes off the bench.
- Cierra Walker is ranked 10th in the country and first in the WCC in three-point field-goal percentage as she has averaged 43.6 percent so far this year.
- Melody Kempton is currently second in the conference in field-goal percentage at 54 percent. The mark is currently ranked first in program history for Gonzaga women's basketball.
- From the charity stripe, the Zags have made 410 this season and are second in the WCC in free-throw percentage (77.2 percent), which also ranks 18th in the nation.
- Defensively, the Bulldogs are first in the conference in scoring defense with 55.8 points, also good for 27th in the country. From beyond the arc, Gonzaga is shooting at 35.4 percent, which is also first in the WCC.
- The Zags are averaging 39 rebounds a game and a 10.3 rebound margin, which ranks sixth in the nation and both marks rank first in the WCC.
GAME AT A GLANCE
SERIES INFO: The Zags and the Cornhuskers have only played one time in program history.
STREAK: Nebraska -1
FIRST MEETING: Nebraska defeated the Zags in 1996 in the Cablevision Classic, 87-40. The game took place in Lincoln, Nebraska
SEEDING IN NCAA: This is the first time GU has been selected as a No. 9 seed in the NCAA Tournament and also marks the first time the team will compete against a No. 8 seed.
TOP SEED IN REGION: The No. 1 seed in Gonzaga's region is Louisville. The Zags also took on the Cardinals in the tournament back in 2011, when No. 11 GU defeated No. 7 Louisville, 76-69.
SCOUTING THE CORNHUSKERS
- Nebraska, which owns the most victories of any Big Ten team this season, will carry a 24-8 record and a No. 23 NET ranking into the postseason.
- Second-team All-Big Ten selections Jaz Shelley (Moe, Australia) and Alexis Markowski (Lincoln, Neb.), the Big Ten Freshman of the Year, headline a starting five that includes honorable-mention
All-Big Ten choices Sam Haiby (Moorhead, Minn.) and Isabelle Bourne (Canberra, Australia) along with freshman Allison Weidner (Humphrey, Neb.).
- The Huskers, who went 11-7 in the Big Ten before advancing to the semifinals in the conference tournament, tied a program record by notching three wins over Associated Press Top 10 teams in 2021-22, including a pair of victories over No. 8/10 Michigan and a 72-55 win over No. 5 Indiana.
- In addition to a strong starting five, Nebraska features one of the deepest benches in the Big Ten led by Bella Cravens (Laie, Hawaii), MiCole Cayton (Stockton, Calif.), Annika Stewart (Plymouth, Minn.), Ruby Porter (Adelaide, Australia), Kendall Coley (Minneapolis, Minn.), Kendall Moriarty (Wheaton,Ill.) and the leader of the bench mob Whitney Brown (Grand Island, Neb.).
- Gonzaga and Nebraska had two common foes this season, including WCC's San Diego and Mountain West's Wyoming. Nebraska defeated USD 64-56 andalso won 72-61 over Wyoming.
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Basketball
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/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
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/ Women's Basketball
G
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