By R.L. Bynum
With every game, junior transfer Maria Gakdeng has a more significant impact for No. 24 North Carolina with her size, inside moves, defense and clutch free-throw shooting.
The last one would have been a significant weakness before this season because she made only 55.1% of her free throws in two seasons at Boston College. She made all six attempts in the 65–64 loss to Florida Gulf Coast and 4 of 5 against No. 1 South Carolina, and is being disruptive inside on defense.
Just ask 6–7 Kamilla Cardoso, the center for the No. 1 Gamecocks who scored only six points in their 65–58 victory in Chapel Hill, thanks to the tenacity of the 6–3 Gakdeng. Read more about how she did it in this video breakdown.
Sunday, in South Carolina’s much easier 77–61 win at Duke, Cordoso scored 15 points.
“It’s really good to see Maria rise to what we’ve asked her to do this year,” UNC coach Courtney Banghart said. “She’s been a good player in our league, but we’re asking you to be a really good player on a really good team. It’s a lot of responsibility.”
She battled in the fourth quarter with four fouls, avoided fouling out, and was still a factor for UNC.
“I thought she was vertical a lot of times, but she was able to stay vertical in the fourth quarter, and we’re playing well when she’s playing well,” Banghart said.
After Wednesday’s 7 p.m. (ESPN3) home game with UNC Greensboro (6–2), Gakdeng will need another big effort against another perennial national power when the Tar Heels face No. 17 UConn (4–3) in the Hall of Fame Women’s Showcase at 5 p.m. Sunday (ESPN) in Uncasville, Conn.
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Her challenge on defense that day will be defending 6–3 senior center Aaliyah Edwards, a third-team AP All-American last season.
In 23 minutes against the Gamecocks, Gakdeng was a team-high +12 with eight points on 4 of 5 shooting with 10 rebounds and two blocks. She’s tied for second on the team in scoring with senior wing Alyssa Ustby at 10.8 points per game and would lead the ACC in shooting at 72.9%, but is just short of the minimum of five field goals per game.
“Maria is a big key piece for us,” Ustby said. “And she’s someone that we can rely on defensively and offensively. So, just seeing her be successful [Thursday] and so far this season. We’re just really glad she is on our team.”
Her first breakout game was against Florida Gulf Coast in the last Gulf Coast Showcase game, when Gakdeng had a height advantage over the Eagles’ post players and took full advantage, tying her career-high with 22 points.
“Working for positioning is something that we work on a practice, of hitting the post, making sure I get touches,” Gakdeng said after that game. “Over time I’ve been getting more comfortable in the post on finishing, working on that.”
She won’t face a height disparity inside when UNCG comes to Carmichael Arena with a three-game win streak and the Tar Heels try to snap a three-game losing streak.
The only Spartans player taller than 5–8 who plays at least 13 minutes per game is 6–3 senior starter Khalis Cain, who averaged 7.9 points and a team-leading 8.1 rebounds per game, so Gakdeng has the potential for a big game if UNC’s guards can consistently get her the ball.
Junior 5–6 guard Jayde Gamble and 5–11 guard Ayanna Khalfani, a graduate student and transfer from the University of San Diego, lead UNCG in scoring at 11.8 points per game. Khalfani registered her third double-double of the season Wednesday with 11 points and 12 rebounds in the Spartans’ 65–49 home win over Coastal Carolina.
Gamble, who had 19 points and three steals in that game, leads the Southern Conference with 25 steals (3.12 per game).
The Spartans were picked sixth in the eight-team SoCon in the preseason coaches poll after going 16–14 last season, finishing tied for fourth in the league at 8–6.
Junior 5–11 wing Isys Grady, a preseason SoCon all-conference pick, is averaging 9.4 points and 4.1 rebounds per game.
NOTES — Sophomore guard Paulina Paris and redshirt sophomore guard Kayla McPherson will miss the game and are day-to-day with undisclosed injuries. … Carolina leads the all-time series with UNCG 13–5, with the Tar Heels winning 96–35 in the last meeting in 2020. … Two former UNC players are on the UNCG coaching staff — Associate Head Coach Cetera DeGraffenreid (2007–11) and Assistant Coach Alex Miller (2004–09). … UNCG is off to its best start since winning eight of its first 10 games in the 1998–99 season. … Carolina faces another SoCon opponent on Dec. 14 when Western Carolina comes to Carmichael. … UConn plays at home against Ball State at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
UNC season statistics
| Date | Day/month | Scores | Opponent/event (current ranks) | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | ||||
| 30 | Thursday | L, 91–82 | No. 4 South Carolina in Atlanta | Exhib. |
| November | ||||
| 3 | Monday | W, 90–42 | vs. N.C. Central | 1–0 |
| 6 | Thursday | W, 71–37 | vs. Elon | 2–0 |
| WBCA Challenge Las Vegas | ||||
| 13 | Thursday | L, 78–60 | vs. No. 2 UCLA | 2–1 |
| 15 | Saturday | W, 82–68 | vs. Fairfield | 3–1 |
| ——————————— | ||||
| 20 | Thursday | W, 85–50 | at N.C. A&T | 4–1 |
| 23 | Sunday | W, 94–48 | vs. UNCG | 5–1 |
| Cancun Challenge Cancun, Mexico | ||||
| 27 | Thursday | W, 83–48 | vs. South Dakota St. | 6–1 |
| 28 | Friday | W, 85–73 | vs. Kansas State | 7–1 |
| 29 | Saturday | W, 80–63 | vs. Columbia | 8–1 |
| December | ACC/SEC Women’s Challenge | |||
| 4 | Thursday | W, 79–64 | at No. 3 Texas | 8–2 |
| ——————————— | ||||
| 7 | Sunday | W, 82–40 | vs. Boston Univ. | 9–2 |
| 14 | Sunday | L, 76–66, OT | vs. No. 13 Louisville | 9–3, 0–1 ACC |
| 17 | Wednesday | W, 84–34 | vs. UNCW | 10–3 |
| 21 | Sunday | W, 93–74 | vs. Charleston Southern | 11–3 |
| 29 | Monday | W, 90–38 | at Boston College | 12–3, 1–1 ACC |
| January | ||||
| 1 | Thursday | W, 71–55 | vs. California | 13–3, 2–1 |
| 4 | Sunday | L, 77–71, OT | vs. Stanford | 13–4, 2–2 |
| 11 | Sunday | L, 73–50 | at No. 22 Notre Dame | 13–5, 2–3 |
| 15 | Thursday | W, 73–62 | vs. Miami | 14–5, 3–3 |
| 18 | Sunday | W, 82–55 | at Florida State | 15–5, 4–3 |
| 22 | Thursday | W, 54–46 | at Georgia Tech | 16–5, 5–3 |
| 25 | Sunday | W, 77–71, OT | vs. Syracuse | 17–5, 6–3 |
| February | ||||
| 2 | Monday | W, 61–59 | at N.C. State | 18–5, 7–3 |
| 5 | Thursday | W, 53–44 | vs. Clemson | 19–5, 8–3 |
| 8 | Sunday | W, 84–56 | vs. Wake Forest | 20–5, 9–3 |
| 12 | Thursday | W, 94–42 | vs. SMU | 21–5, 10–3 |
| 15 | Sunday | L, 72–68 | at No. 8 Duke | 21–6, 10–4 |
| 19 | Thursday | W, 66–63, OT | at Virginia Tech | 22–6, 11–4 |
| 22 | Sunday | W, 78–50 | vs. Pittsburgh | 23–6, 12–4 |
| 26 | Thursday | W, 82–70 | at Virginia | 24–6, 13–4 |
| March | ||||
| 1 | Sunday | W, 72–69 | vs. No. 8 Duke | 25–6, 14–4 |
| ACC tournament | Gas South Arena, Duluth, Ga. | |||
| 6 | Friday | W, 85–68 | Quarterfinal vs. Va. Tech | 26–6 |
| 7 | Saturday | L, 65–57 | Semifinal vs. No. 13 Louisville | 26–7 |
| NCAA tournament Fort Worth 1 Regional | ||||
| 21 | Friday | W, 82–51 | First round in Chapel Hill: vs. Western Illinois | 27–7 |
| 23 | Sunday | W, 74–66 | Second round in Chapel Hill: No. 17 Maryland | 28–7 |
| 27 | Friday | L, 63–52 | Sweet 16 in Fort Worth, Texas: vs. No. 1 UConn | 28–8 |
Photo courtesy of UNC Athletics
