University of North Carolina Athletics
Tar Heels Head North For Holiday Clash With Huskies
January 14, 2012 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 14, 2012
STORRS, Conn. --- North Carolina resumes its annual series with national powerhouse Connecticut Monday when the Tar Heels visit Gampel Pavilion to face the Huskies at 7 p.m. Carolina enters the contest 12-4 on the year after a 52-47 loss to Clemson on Thursday night. Connecticut is 14-2 on the season following a 72-49 victory over Villanova on Saturday. UNC is ranked No. 22 in the AP poll and No. 21 in the coaches' poll. Connecticut is ranked No. 3 in both polls.
AT A GLANCE
Monday, Jan. 16, 7 p.m. • Gampel Pavilion (10,167) • Storrs, Conn.
Records: North Carolina 12-4, Connecticut 14-2
Rankings: North Carolina is ranked No. 22 in the AP poll and No. 21 in the ESPN/USA Today coaches' poll. Connecticut is No. 3 in both polls.
TV: ESPN2. Pam Ward (play-by-play) and Rebecca Lobo (analyst) have the call.
Radio: Tar Heel Sports Network, a division of Learfield Communications. Walter Storholt (play-by-play) has the call.
On The Web: TarHeelBlue.com • Twitter: @UNCWBB
CONNECTICUT SERIES NOTES
• Carolina is 5-6 all-time against Connecticut, including a 1-3 mark in the Constitution State.
• The teams have traded winning streaks over the last seven matchups in the series. UNC won three straight from 2005-07 before four straight Husky victories from 2008-11.
• Monday's game will mark the eighth consecutive year in which the two teams have met in the regular season.
• UConn won the last meeting in Storrs, 88-47, in 2010. Carolina's only road win in the series came in Hartford, a 77-54 victory on Dec. 5, 2005.
CAROLINA AGAINST RANKED OPPONENTS
• Carolina is 124-195 all-time against opponents ranked in the Associated Press Top 25, including a 1-2 mark in 2011-12.
• Since the start of the 2004-05 season, Carolina is 45-28 against ranked opponents. The Tar Heels have 13 wins over teams in the top five of the AP poll during that stretch, including a 71-65 win over No. 4 Connecticut in 2004.
• UNC's most recent top-5 win came against Duke last season. The Tar Heels defeated the No. 5 Blue Devils, 62-60, in Chapel Hill. Carolina's last road win over a top-5 team was an 80-79 victory over No. 2 Oklahoma in the final of the 2008 Preseason WNIT.
CAROLINA PLAYING SHORT-HANDED
North Carolina has had a number of players miss game time so far this due to a variety of conditions. Here is the current status:
• Laura Broomfield (eye) left the Maryland game early in the second half after being scratched around the eye on a fast break play. She played against Clemson while wearing protective glasses.
• She'la White (ankle) suffered a sprained left ankle against Miami on Jan. 2 and did not play against Virginia or Maryland. She returned to play 20 minutes against Clemson.
• Tierra Ruffin-Pratt (shoulder) returned to the lineup against Virginia on Jan. 5 and got her first start of the season against Clemson. She missed the first 13 games of the season after offseason shoulder surgery.
• Waltiea Rolle gave birth to her first child - a daughter - on November 8 and was not enrolled at UNC during the fall semester. She returned to Chapel Hill after Christmas and rejoined the team prior to the Savannah State game.
• Megan Buckland (knee) underwent successful surgery on Jan. 10 to repair a torn ACL. She will miss the rest of the season.
• Latifah Coleman (knee) underwent successful surgery on Dec. 27 to repair a torn ACL. She will miss the rest of the season.
• Whitney Adams (shoulder) missed the first three games of the year following an injury during preseason practice. She returned to the lineup on Nov. 22 and will continue to wear a shoulder harness.
LAST TIME OUT: Clemson 52, No. 22 North Carolina 47
CHAPEL HILL --- Quinyotta Pettaway had 16 points and 12 rebounds and Clemson beat No. 22 North Carolina 52-47 Thursday night. The result snapped a five-game losing streak for the Tigers (5-10, 1-3 ACC.) UNC was held to a season low in scoring and lost consecutive games for the first time this season. Tierra Ruffin-Pratt and Chay Shegog had 11 points each for UNC (12-4, 2-2).
HATCHELL APPROACHING 600 WINS AT CAROLINA
Women's Basketball Hall of Famer and three-time national coach of the year Sylvia Hatchell is just one win away from joining yet another exclusive coaching club. With one more Carolina victory, Hatchell (currently 599-227) will reach 600 wins since taking over in Chapel Hill in 1986. Already one of just five coaches in Division I history with 800 career victories, Hatchell is looking to become just the third coach in ACC history to earn 600 wins at a league school, joining NC State's Kay Yow and Virginia's Debbie Ryan.
SHEGOG THRIVING AS A SENIOR
Center Chay Shegog is having a stellar final season in Chapel Hill. The senior from Stafford, Va., leads the league in scoring with 17.4 points per game and also has tallied a league-best seven double-doubles. After averaging 8.9 ppg as a junior, Shegog has had the second-highest scoring improvement (+8.5) in the ACC this season.
