NC State, UNC women earn player, rookie of week honors

Markeisha Gatling.
Markeisha Gatling.
NC State senior center Markeisha Gatling has been named the Atlantic Coast Conference Women’s Basketball Player of the Week, while North Carolina freshman guard Allisha Gray earned ACC Rookie of the Week honors, as announced Monday afternoon by the conference office and voted on by the Blue Ribbon Panel.

Gatling scored 25 points in NC State’s upset win over No. 12/12 LSU on Dec. 20. The Raleigh native made 11-of-13 shots, pulled down eight rebounds, and added one assist and one steal in 22 minutes of action. Gatling’s 25 points marked the fourth time this season she has scored 20-or-more points this season.

The win over No. 12 LSU marked the Wolfpack’s first win over a ranked opponent of the season and first since a 76-69 win at No. 19 Florida State on Feb. 14, 2013.

The Player of the Week honor is Gatling’s first of her career.

Gray averaged a team-leading 15.3 points per game in a 3-0 week for the Tar Heels that included a 74-66 win over previously undefeated No. 10 South Carolina. Gray scored in double figures in all three games, including a game-high 20 points against New Orleans and 12 points against the Gamecocks. She also contributed 4.7 rebounds in the three wins, while shooting 57.1 percent from the floor and 58.3 percent from 3-point range.

It is Gray’s second Rookie of the Week honor of her career, and it is the fourth time a student-athlete from North Carolina has earned the ACC’s Rookie of the Week award this season.

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