#B1GCats Welcome Virginia for 2016 Big Ten/ACC Challenge

11/30/2016 10:13:00 AM | Women's Basketball

By: Mallory Majcher

NORTHWESTERN BASKETBALL: GAME DAY INFORMATION
DATE	OPPONENT	TIME	LOCATION	BROADCAST	LIVE STATS
Thursday, Dec. 1	Virginia	8 p.m.	Evanston, Ill. (Welsh-Ryan Arena)	Big Ten Network	SIDEARM
Social: Twitter (@NUWBBall and @NU_SportsLive) \| Instagram (@NUWBall) \| Facebook

EVANSTON, Ill. – Northwestern faces off against Virginia on Thursday night at Welsh-Ryan Arena for the annual Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Tip off is set for 8 p.m.

Thursday's game will be aired live on the Big Ten Network with Mike Wolf and Shelley Till calling the action.

This is the third all-time meeting between the Wildcats and Cavaliers as the all-time series is currently tied 1-1. These two squads last met during the 2004-05 season in the Roger L. White Invitational when the Cavaliers recorded a 76-55 win over NU.

Challenge games are set for a two-day format, beginning Wednesday, Nov. 30, with Illinois, Iowa and Minnesota hosting home games, and Michigan State, Penn State and Purdue playing on the road. On Thursday, Dec. 1, Northwestern, Ohio State, Rutgers and Wisconsin will serve as host teams, while Indiana, Maryland, Michigan and Nebraska will play road games.

In each of the last two seasons, the Big Ten and ACC closed out the two-day event in a 7-7 tie. In the last Challenge, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Nebraska, Northwestern and Wisconsin recorded wins for the Big Ten.

Last season, the Wildcats defeated North Carolina in the Challenge, 85-72. Maggie Lyon led a quartet of Wildcats in double figures with a career-high 31 points, Nia Coffey poured in 22, Christen Inman added 16 and Ashley Deary scored 12.

A LOOK AT NORTHWESTERN
The 'Cats enter Thursday's matchup coming off a pair of wins over No. 16 Florida and Evansville. Northwestern had eleven players jump on the scoreboard against the Purple Aces as senior Nia Coffey registered a season-high 30 points to mark her third career 30-point game. Senior Lauren Douglas recorded her 1,000^th career point, joining Ashley Deary as the second Wildcat to reach the milestone this season. Coffey was named the Big Ten Player of the Week for her performance last week.

Northwestern leads the country with eight blocks per game and are shooting 45.5 percent from the field 34.5.

Deary, who owns the top three NU single-season steals record, career record and Big Ten single season record, is just 41 steals shy of breaking the Big Ten career record. She is also the nation's current active career steals leader and leads the category by 43.

Coffey is just 23 rebounds shy of breaking the Northwestern all-time career record, currently held by Anucha Browne. Coffey holds the NU single-season rebound record after pulling down 344 boards last season.

The Wildcats are receiving votes in the AP Polls for the first time this year.

A LOOK AT VIRGINIA
The Cavaliers head to Evanston with a 5-1 record overall, fresh off a win against Nebraska in the South Point Shootout Tournament in Las Vegas, Nevada. Junior guard Aliyah Huland El leads the way in scoring and has averaged 15.3 points per game in the last three games, including 16 points against Rutgers and St. Johns. Junior forward Lauren Moses currently ranks third in the ACC in field goal percentage at 55.7 percent and sixth in free throw percentage at 84.2 percent.