Gophers to Face Wake Forest in Big Ten/ACC Challenge

The University of Minnesota women’s basketball team will conclude a three-game road swing Thursday afternoon when it takes on Wake Forest in Winston-Salem, N.C., for the fifth-annual Big Ten/ACC Challenge at Lawrence Joel Memorial Coliseum.  Tip off for the contest is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. CT.   

The Opening Tip
• The Golden Gophers enter the contest at Wake Forest with a 4-3 record on the season.
• The match-up will be the first between the two teams.
• Minnesota is 2-2 in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, having defeated Boston College and Virginia Tech in the past four seasons. The record includes a, 63-58, victory vs. the Hokies last season at Williams Arena.
• The Gophers have suffered losses to both Virginia Tech and Maryland during the event.   
• Senior Kiara Buford needs only 30 more points to overtake the No. 13 spot on Minnesota’s career scoring register.
• The guard currently boasts 1,133 career points, with Angie Iverson possessing the No. 13 spot with 1,162 points from 1994-98.
• Pam Borton secured her 250th victory all-time as a head coach Saturday evening as the Gophers defeated Virginia Tech, 65-64, in the consolation game of the St. Mary’s Concord Hilton Tournament.
• Junior Katie Loberg shined in the Thanksgiving tournament, averaging a double-double with 17.0 points and 10.0 rebounds per game to be named to the all-tournament team.
• Following its contest at Wake Forest, the Golden Gophers will face-off against No. 1 Baylor Sunday, Dec. 4, at Williams Arena in the Big 12/Big Ten Challenge. The game will air live on the Big Ten Network.
 
Scouting Minnesota
• The Gophers carry a 4-3 record into the Big Ten/ACC Challenge at Wake Forest Thursday night.
• The game will be the sixth on the road for Minnesota in their first eight games, but is the first true road test for the Gophers this season.
• The previous five road contests have been played at neutral sites. 
• This season, the Gophers have posted wins vs. Arkansas, Binghamton, NDSU and Virginia Tech.
• The Maroon and Gold is outscoring its opponents by an average of 7.3 points per game.
• Kiara Buford leads the Maroon and Gold in points per game (12.9) and steals (14).
• Katie Loberg paces the squad with a 7.9 rebounds-per-game average and five blocks, while ranking third in points with 11.1 per game.
 
Scouting Wake Forest
•The Demon Deacons host the Gophers with a 4-1 record on the season, with all five of their games having been played at the friendly confines of Joel Coliseum in Winston-Salem, N.C.  
• Wake Forest’s wins have come against Monmouth, Coppin State, Mercer and Jacksonville.
• The team’s only loss of the year came at the hands of Kansas, 74-43, on Nov. 20.
• The Demon Deacons have outscored their opponents by an average of 26.0 points per game.
• Secily Ray and Asia Williams lead the team in scoring with 10.8 points per game, while Chelsea Douglas follows closely behind with a 10.2 points-per-game average.
• Ray also leads the Demon Deacons with 7.4 rebounds per game.
 
The Best Up Next
• Following its contest at Wake Forest, the Golden Gophers will take on the No. 1 team in the nation, Baylor, in the second-annual Big 12/Big Ten Challenge on Dec. 4 at Williams Arena.
• Tip off for the contest is scheduled for 1:06 p.m., with the game set to be aired live on the Big Ten Network.
• The Bears are 6-0 on the year and have outscored their opponents by an average of 36.5 points.
• Baylor has held down the No. 1 spot in both the AP and ESPN/USA Today Coaches Polls for three-straight weeks, while also being ranked first in both preseason polls.
• The defending WBCA National Defensive Player of the Year, Brittney Griner, is averaging 5.7 blocks per game, while also averaging a double-double with 24.7 points and 10.8 rebounds per game on .650 shooting from the floor to pace the Bears on the court.
 
Against the ACC
• The Gophers are 12-13 all-time when facing off against teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference.
• This season, Minnesota has already faced two teams from the ACC prior to Thursday, dropping its contest to 14/13 Florida State, 68-56, in Florida, before defeating Virginia Tech in dramatic fashion, 65-64, last weekend in California.
 
Big Ten/ACC Challenge History
• This year’s challenge is the start of a new two-year rotation, and is the fifth year of what began as a four-year agreement in 2007.
• The challenge schedule will feature all 12 teams from each conference for the first time in the event’s history.
• With the addition of Nebraska to the Big Ten on July 1, 2011, the Big Ten will have a dozen teams to compete against the teams from the ACC.
• Last season, Big Ten teams combined for a 5-6 mark against its ACC counterparts, marking the closest challenge margin in the event’s four-year history.
• Since the 1999-2000 season, the two conferences have squared off in head-to-head competition on 115 occasions with the ACC holding a 64-51 advantage.
• Last season, the Big Ten boasted a 9-7 record over ACC teams.
 
Minnesota in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge
Dec. 2, 2010
Minnesota 63, Virginia Tech 58
Junior guard Kiara Buford scored a career-high 27 points, as Minnesota held on for a, 63-58, victory vs.  Virginia Tech in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge at Williams Arena.
Dec. 3, 2009
Maryland 66, Minnesota 45
Minnesota struggled offensively all night in dropping a 66-45 decision to No. 22 Maryland in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge in College Park, Md. Jackie Voigt led the Golden Gophers with 10 points.
Dec. 4, 2008
Minnesota 80, Boston College 60
The Gophers finished with four players in double figures to capture an 80-60 victory over Boston College in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge at Williams Arena. Katie Ohm scored a career-high 23 points, 21 of them coming off seven three-point field goals to tie a Williams Arena single-game record. Ashley Ellis-Milan scored 16 points, while Brittany McCoy added 14 points and Jackie Voigt added 10, along with 10 rebounds for her first career double-double.
Nov. 30, 2007
Virginia Tech 68, Minnesota 62
Despite Emily Fox tying a career-high with 30 points, Minnesota was defeated, 68-62, at Virginia Tech in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge in Blacksburg, Va.
 
Reaching a Milestone
• Head coach Pam Borton earned her 250th victory as a head coach Saturday night as the Gophers defeated Virginia Tech, 65-64, on a last-second basket.
• Borton currently holds a career record of 250-157, while also boasting a 181-111 record at the helm of the Minnesota women’s basketball team.
 
Last-Second Heroics
• Freshman Rachel Banham hit a jumper with 0.6 seconds to play to lift the Golden Gophers to a 65-64 victory vs. Virginia Tech in the consolation game of the St. Mary’s Concord Hilton Tournament in Moraga, Calif. last weekend.
• The game-winner was the first for Banham in her career.
• It was the first time since Feb. 15, 2009 that Minnesota won a contest on a last-second shot.
• In that game, Brittany McCoy hit a three-pointer with 1.9 second remaining to give the Gophers a 60-59 victory on the road at Michigan.
• Minnesota also lost its contest vs. Quinnipiac, 64-62, the night before on a last-second shot, after Jasmine Martin made a basket with 1.9 seconds to play that cost the Gophers the win.
 
St. Mary’s All-Tournament Team
• Junior Katie Loberg earned a spot on the St. Mary’s Concord Hilton All-Tournament team last weekend after averaging a double-double with 17.5 points and 10.0 rebounds per game.
• The junior also posted a .524 (11-of-21) field goal percentage and a .722 (13-of-18) free throw percentage in the pair of contests.
• Loberg recorded her second-career double-double in the opening game vs. Quinnipiac, and the first for the Gophers this season, with 15 points and a career-high 13 rebounds, while adding a pair of blocks.
• Loberg matched her career-high with 20 points Saturday vs. Virginia Tech, and added seven rebounds and an assist.
• Against the Hokies, Loberg shot .545 from the field (6-of-11) and shot .800 (8-of-10) from the free throw line.
• Her eight free throws made also matched a career-high for Loberg.
 
Welcome Back
• Senior Jackie Voigt made her return to the starting lineup Saturday vs. Virginia Tech, after coming off of the bench the first six games of the season.
• Prior to 2011-12, Voigt had started 90 of her 91 games played as a Gopher.
• In her first start as a senior, Voigt led the team with eight rebounds in 29 minutes of play.