Tag: Maria Gakdeng

UNC WBB wins last game of 2024 behind Alyssa Ustby, Maria Gakdeng double-doubles

The UNC women’s basketball team took care of business in Miami on Sunday.

The UNC women’s basketball team had one final business trip to make in 2024: a road test against the Miami (FL) Hurricanes on Sunday, December 29.

North Carolina entered tonight’s matchup looking to win its first ACC game, as North Carolina lost its conference opener at home against Georgia Tech.

When the final seconds ticked off the Watsco Center clock, the Tar Heels escaped Miami with a convincing, 69-60 victory.

UNC (13-2, 1-1 ACC) enjoyed a balanced scoring attack from its starters, but the greatest performances came from star forwards Maria Gakdeng and Alyssa Ustby.

Gakdeng collected a 21-point, 12-rebound double-double, shooting an efficient 7-of-11 from the field and making 7-of-10 free throw attempts. Ustby recorded a 19-point, 13-rebound double-double, also shooting an efficient 8-of-16 mark from the field. Ustby made 1-of-2 3-point attempts and 2-of-4 free throws.

North Carolina outscored the host Hurricanes (11-2, 1-1 ACC) in each of the first three quarters: 21-14 in the first, 18-15 in the second and 23-18 in the third. Miami outscored the Tar Heels 13-7 in the fourth quarter, but the game was practically out of reach at that point.

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The Hurricanes’ famous Cavinder twins, who rose to fame as social media influencers, combined for 27 of their team’s 60 points. Haley Cavinder and Jasmyne Roberts each scored 19 to lead Miami.

UNC will return to Carmichael Arena after a week off, hosting one of the country’s elite teams in Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish (11-2, 2-0 ACC), currently ranked third in the country, are led by the dangerous duo of Hannah Hidalgo (25.8 points per game) and Olivia Miles (17.2 points per game).

Can North Carolina stage a massive upset and prove itself as one of the country’s elite teams itself?

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UNC WBB dominates Coppin State on Sunday afternoon, wins sixth-straight

Watch out for the UNC women’s basketball team.

The UNC women’s basketball team continues to prove why it should be seriously considered as one of the country’s best.

North Carolina’s early-season dominance continued on Sunday afternoon inside Carmichael Arena, as it stomped Coppin State, 72-46.

UNC (9-1) scored 46 points alone in the first half, 23 in both the first and second quarters, which ended up being the visiting Eagles’ (6-5) point total.  North Carolina cooled off a bit in the second half, totaling just 26 points (14 in the third quarter, 12 in the fourth), but Coppin State wasn’t able take advantage.

All 13 players on the Tar Heels’ roster saw game action Sunday, with guard Indya Nivar playing a team-high 22 minutes. Maria Gakdeng, UNC’s star center who missed several games earlier this season with injury, was one of 12 Tar Heels to score. Gakdeng turned in a game-high 10 points.

North Carolina dominated Coppin State in virtually every area, but most notably in 3-point percentage, rebounds, assists and points in the paint.

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The Tar Heels shot 46.2 percent from the perimeter, an encouraging sign considering their struggles earlier this season. Lexi Donarski, arguably UNC’s best 3-point shooter, went 3-of-5 from deep.

North Carolina used height to its advantage, out-rebounding Coppin State 49-37. Nivar, Blanca Thomas and Trayanna Crisp each grabbed six boards. The Tar Heels also carried a 22-8 points in the paint advantage.

UNC dished out 18 assists to the visiting Eagles’ six. Nivar and Alyssa Ustby each recorded three assists.

North Carolina will stay home for two more games this week, facing UNC-Greensboro on Wednesday, Dec. 11 at 7 p.m. and Georgia Tech on Sunday, Dec. 15 at 2 p.m. in its ACC opener.

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UNC WBB dominates Kentucky from start to finish in ACC-SEC Challenge

The UNC women’s basketball team passed its ACC-SEC Challenge test with little resistance Thursday night.

Watch out, college basketball world. The UNC women’s basketball team is red hot – and doesn’t show any signs of slowing down.

16th-ranked North Carolina welcomed an undefeated, 14th-ranked Kentucky squad to Carmichael Arena on Wednesday night. The Tar Heels entered winning their past four, while the Wildcats were fresh off a ranked victory over Illinois on Wednesday, November 27.

When the buzzer sounded in Chapel Hill on Thursday night, UNC extended its winning streak to five games and left its home court with a massive, 72-53 victory.

North Carolina (8-1) dominated Kentucky (7-1) in virtually every aspect, but truly made a difference in the paint, with the Tar Heels outscoring the Wildcats 42-10. UNC did this without star freshman Blanca Thomas, who didn’t play for an undisclosed reason.

Reniya Kelly led North Carolina with 18 points and six assists, while Alyssa Ustby poured in 13 points and grabbed eight rebounds, but Thursday was all about Tar Heels center Maria Gakdeng.

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Playing in her fourth and final collegiate season, Gakdeng scored her 1,000th point in UNC’s big victory. In her fifth start of the year, Gakdeng scored 16 points and led her North Carolina teammates with nine rebounds.

If you watched Thursday’s matchup, you likely saw a former Tar Heel in Kentucky Blue. Teonni Key, the 6’4″ forward who played her first two seasons at UNC, scored seven points and pulled down eight rebounds.

North Carolina had a scoring advantage in the first (21-16), second (15-9) and fourth (22-14) quarters. The Wildcats and Tar Heels each scored 14 points in the third quarter.

Through nine games, North Carolina is tied with California for second in the ACC. With five straight wins and a deeper, talented roster compared to last season, UNC is looking like one of the best early-season teams in college basketball.

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Where does UNC WBB land in ESPN’s Way-Too-Early Top 25?

Can the UNC women’s basketball team play up to its Way-Too-Early preseason ranking?

The UNC women’s basketball team is going to look a little different this coming season, but it’ll still be full of talent.

North Carolina said goodbye to star guard and scoring leader Deja Kelly, plus reserves Anya Poole, Alexandra Zelaya, Teonni Key and Paulina Paris, in the transfer portal. The Tar Heels will return three starters, plus they bring in several stars from the recruiting trail .

In what’s typically a deep ACC, UNC is expected to thrive in its sixth year under head coach Courtney Banghart.

North Carolina is also predicted to thrive amongst all of college basketball. Just a month ahead of their first regular season game, on Monday, Nov. 4 at 11 a.m. against Charleston Southern in Carmichael Arena, the Tar Heels were ranked 13th in ESPN’s Way-Too-Early Top 25.

“Depth, with an interesting mix of experience and youth, should be the hallmark for the Tar Heels,” Charlie Creme wrote. “Lexi Donarski and Alyssa Ustby return for their fifth seasons, joined by 6-3 senior Maria Gakdeng and point guard Grace Townsend, a grad transfer from Richmond. Courtney Banghart added another point guard in freshman Lanie Grant, the Virginia player of the year, and 6-5 five-star recruit Blanca Thomas. The 6-4 Ciera Toomey is ready to go after redshirting last season.”

Ustby, Donarski and Gakdend are returning starters from 2023. Ustby was practically a walking double-double in 2023, averaging 12.5 points and 95 rebounds per game. Donarski is a sharpshooter, making a UNC-high 74 3-pointers last year, while Gakdeng’s 51 blocks at center led UNC.

Townsend is a do-it-all point guard, as she averaged 4.9 rebounds, 5.2 assists and a career-high 13.4 points per game for Richmond during the 2023-2024 campaign.

Grant and Thomas are two of the best recruits in recent North Carolina memory. Toomey is a former Miss Pennsylvania basketball winner.

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Coaches and players echo “connection” for UNC at ACC Tip-Off

“Connected” like never before is the sentiment from coaches and players alike for the upcoming women’s basketball season.

In Charlotte, North Carolina, the second day of women’s basketball was featured as a part of the ACC Tip-Off media event. Yesterday, a plethora of women’s college basketball teams were interviewed that finished today with a few teams including UNC women’s basketball.

Represented at the media event for the Tar Heels were head coach Courtney Banghart and veterans Lexi Donarski, Alyssa Ustby, and Maria Gakdeng.

Head coach Courtney Banghart was asked first media day what excites her most about the upcoming season.

I think that this is a really connected group. It’s a popular time to talk about those types of words, but it’s not a word I would have always used and this group is really connected with one another. We have a healthy blend of experience with a lot of youthful talent. Most importantly, our experience tangibly sheds that to their peer groups in a really connected way, and we’re healthy!

Coming into a season where the team lost its best scorer Deja Kelly to the transfer portal, hearing that the girls have come together and are seeking to play as one unit could be huge for the upcoming season.

In the same press conference, Alyssa Ustby, a fifth-year senior this year, echoed Banghart’s sentiment about the team saying “I attribute a lot of my successes to my teammates … just being a part of an incredible program that has coaches who are invested in my development.”

There will be ebbs and flows to the upcoming season for the preseason ranked No. 13 Tar Heels, but there is nothing better than seeing full-court basketball played when no one cares who gets the credit.

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UNC stays hot, downs ACC power Notre on road in crucial WBB matchup

The UNC women’s basketball team continued its winning ways on Sunday, upsetting ACC power Notre by four points on Sunday afternoon.

The UNC women’s basketball team is playing its best ball as it heads into the thick of ACC play.

The ACC is loaded, with N.C. State (3), Virginia Tech (13), Louisville (17), Florida State (22) and Notre Dame (16) all ranked in the AP Poll.

UNC was ranked earlier this year, but has a great case to climb back in after its latest result.

Carolina traveled to Notre Dame, which sports one of college basketball’s premier women’s hoops programs, to shock many with a 61-57 victory on Sunday, Jan. 7.

UNC (11-4, 3-0 ACC) helped its case for an upset early on, when it outscored the fighting Irish by eight in the opening quarter. Carolina scored the game’s first basket 17 seconds in, when center Maria Gakdeng converted on a layup, then didn’t give up the lead again until the third quarter.

With UNC down 46-45 after three quarters, Indya Nivar banked in a layup just 1:30 into the final frame. The Tar Heels never trailed again and limited Notre Dame to just 11 fourth-quarter points, its lowest in a quarter this game.

Carolina overcame a poor shooting night, as Nivar and Gakdeng were the only two Tar Heels to shoot over 50 percent. Nivar led UNC with 16 points.

The Tar Heels, now tied atop the ACC with Virginia Tech, stay on the road for a ranked matchup at Florida State. Carolina and the Seminoles (12-4, 3-1) will play Thursday, Jan. 11 at 6 p.m.

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Notre Dame has Citron again but not Westbeld in loss to North Carolina

A lost weekend for Notre Dame basketball.

Notre Dame’s [autotag]Sonia Citron[/autotag] returned to the starting lineup against North Carolina after missing nine games with a knee sprain. However, her return was canceled out by the absence of [autotag]Maddy Westbeld[/autotag], who was being evaluated for a concussion after being injured in the Irish’s last game at Pittsburgh. With the Irish down to six rotational players, they lost to the Tar Heels, 61-57, who won their first game in South Bend in six tries.

Except for most of the third quarter in which the Irish led by as much as seven, the Tar Heels showed from the beginning that they were the better team during this particular evening at Purcell Pavilion. They made more plays when it really mattered and took advantage of having more available depth. While neither team shot well, the Heels held the advantage there (38.7% from the field for them and 31.1% for the Irish), and that made the big difference.

After tying the game at 55 with 3:41 left on a pair of Citron free throws, the Irish didn’t score again until the outcome already was decided. They still had a chance with time running out and trailing by only three, but [autotag]Anna DeWolfe[/autotag]’s layup attempt was blocked by Maria Gakdeng, forcing the Irish to foul Deja Kelly.

Even when Kelly missed both free throws, Gakdeng got the offensive rebound, and the ball got to Indya Nivar, who was fouled and split her ensuing two free throws for the last of her team-leading 16 points, putting the Heels up four. [autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag] was fouled on the subsequent possession and missed two free throws. Lexi Donarski then finished the Irish off with two free throws of her own, bringing her total to 13 points.

The Irish wasted 18 points from Citron and a double-double from Hidalgo (17 points, 11 rebounds). [autotag]KK Bransford[/autotag] scored 12 points.

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Gakdeng’s double-double not enough as Tar Heels fall to UConn

The UNC women’s basketball team had a chance to make a statement Sunday afternoon, but lost 76-64 against UConn. What exactly went wrong?

Good teams beat opponents they should beat.

UNC’s women’s basketball program has done exactly that this year, winning games against Gardner-Webb, Davidson, Hampton, Elon, Vermont and UNCG.

The Tar Heels have also struggled against stronger teams, losing all three of their games against ranked opponents (fourth to unranked FGCU). Their latest lost to a ranked team came on Sunday, Dec. 10, losing 76-64 to UConn in the Hall of Fame Women’s Showcase.

Carolina was super close with the 11-time National Champions, tied at 36 apiece during the halftime break. A 29-13 third quarter in the Huskies’ advantage, however, was the ultimate difference-maker.

Individual accomplishments in games, especially firsts, are always caused for celebration. They don’t feel as good in a loss, but still are means for celebration.

One of UNC’s individual accomplishments to be celebrated came from 6’3″ forward/center Maria Gakdeng, the Boston College transfer who recorded a 14-point, 13-rebound double-double for her first as a Tar Heel. Gakdeng was also the only Tar Heel who shot over 50 percent from the field, going 6-of-9.

Every UNC started scored in double-figures, led by 14 from Gakdeng. Iowa State transfer Lexi Donarski notched 12, star guard Deja Kelly netted 11, while Alyssa Ustby and Indya Nivar each recorded 10.

Carolina should grab an easy win in its next game, hosting the 2-8 Western Carolina Catamounts on Friday, Dec. 15 at 7 p.m. ET.

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Maria Gakdeng shines in the ACC/SEC challenge against South Carolina

North Carolina Tar Heel Maria Gakdeng shines in the ACC/SEC challenge against No. 1 South Carolina

The No. 24 North Carolina women’s basketball faced off against No. 1 South Carolina, nearly upsetting them in Chapel Hill.

A lot went right for UNC, as they used their juggernaut defense and rebounding to hinder South Carolina’s high-powered offense. Despite the 65-58 loss, UNC’s talent was on full display, with Boston College transfer [autotag]Maria Gakdeng[/autotag] stepping up for the Tar Heels in a significant way.

Gakdeng finished with eight points and ten rebounds while matchup against South Carolina star Kamilla Cardoso through the night. Gakdeng physical play down low helped keep Cardoso’s scoring in check, who averages 16.8 points per game and ended up with a season-low six points.

The game should give the program a boost of confidence even in the loss, seeing their ability to shut down a team like South Carolina. Gakdeng will be a big reason if UNC can dance long come March madness.

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ACC women’s basketball leaders as of Nov. 19

One Notre Dame player leads two categories.

We continue to see more of who will make the ACC special this season. Even if these particular players aren’t all at the top of the statistical leaderboards at the end of the season, they still will be worth watching throughout the season. Here’s who’s most worth watching in the conference leading into Thanksgiving week: