North Carolina State University Athletics
Wolfpack and Huskies Collide; NC State in Search of Upset
12/26/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 26, 2003
RALEIGH, N.C. - NC State women's basketball, 7-4 will travel to face the No. 1 ranked Connecticut Huskies (8-0) on Monday, Dec. 29. The game will tip-off at 7 p.m. and will be televised locally on Connecticut Public Television.
The Wolfpack broke its four-game winning streak with a 79-63 loss to Baylor in the championship game of the San Juan Shootout on Dec. 22. NC State finished 2-1 in the Shootout before taking a short break for the holiday. Chones who led the team with 35 points on the weekend, which included two double-doubles, led the Pack. Chones continues to lead the team overall with her 14.2 ppg and 7.5 boards a contest. Two freshmen remain among the Wolfpack's top five scorers. Keisha Brown is second on the squad with her 8.2 ppg, while leading the team in shot percentage at 52.9 percent and in steals with 23 total. Marquetta Dickens is fourth among the scorers with 7.2 ppg. Chones brought her career double-double total to 24 to rank her first in the ACC. In addition to that ACC honor, Chones is also currently ranked in the top 10 of six categories, including scoring, field goal percentage, rebounding, blocks, offensive and defensive rebounds. The loss to Baylor was the first since the Pack lost at Georgia Dec. 6. Since then the team picked up victories over Indiana and Florida A&M at home and then against Eastern Michigan and University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez in the Shootout. After returning from Hartford the team will have just one non-conference game remaining, which will take place on Dec. 31 versus Appalachian State at home.
The Connecticut Huskies have been perfect since tipping off the first game on Nov. 23 vs. Western Michigan. Led by senior Diana Taurasi's team-leading 21.1 ppg and 4.9 assists per, the No. 1 ranked squad has yet to meet its maker. Along with Taurasi, the team's four other starters returned this season and all 11 letterwinners. Taurasi isn't alone as three others are posting solid numbers as well. Sophomore Barbara Turner is dropping 13.5 point a contest to go along with 5.5 boards, junior Jessica Moore adds 10.9 ppg and leads the team in rebounds with 6.3 rpg and sophomore Ann Strother finishes off the double-digit foursome with 10.6 ppg. In addition, senior Maria Conlon has nailed 14 of her 29 3-point attempts, good for 48 percent and which is also the only way she has scored. UConn's last action was at Saint Joseph's where the team earned its eighth win of the season with an 87-34 victory. The back-to-back defending national champions have been ranked first in the nation for a record 91 weeks, surpassing the previous record of 90 set by Tennessee. The Huskies are currently on a 75 game-winning streak and a 68 home game-winning streak (which includes 22 at the Hartford Civic Center). The UConn program recently picked up its 600th victory with the win over Arizona on Dec. 18, it took just 103 games since the 500th program win. The Huskies are led by 19th year head coach Geno Auriemma
