Nov. 7, 2002

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The Terrapin women's basketball team opens its exhibition schedule Saturday, Nov. 9, at 7 p.m. vs. Basketball Travelers and continues a week later on Nov. 16 when Team Concept comes to the Comcast Center. That game will also begin at 7 p.m. Admission will be free for both games.

THE BEGINNING OF A NEW ERA
Welcome to the Comcast Center... Maryland held the grand opening for the new home of women's and men's basketball on Oct. 10 when the university celebrated the official ribbon-cutting at the Comcast Center. New head coach Brenda Frese lined up with Maryland Governor Parris Glendening, University President C.D. "Dan" Mote, men's basketball bench boss Gary Williams, Athletics Director Deborah A. Yow, and many others to address the crowd of over 1,200 invitees to the grand opening celebration.

The Comcast Center's seating capacity will be an outstanding 17,100 with the building including such amenities as:
* Eight-sided video scoreboard
* Weight Training and Conditioning Area and Sports Medicine/Training Area
* Auxiliary Gymnasium with room for two full courts that will serves as the competition site for gymnastics, women's volleyball and wresting.
* Media Relations Center
* Heritage Hall Multi-Purpose Room, which seats 400 for a reception and 200 for a sit-down dinner
* Academic Support and Career Development Center for Student-Athletes (7,000 square feet)
* Terps merchandise Store

Brenda Frese named third head coach ever for Maryland women... Maryland introduced 2002 AP National Coach of the Year Brenda Frese as the third women's basketball coach all-time on April 2, 2002.

Frese brings a history of turning programs around with her to Maryland. Frese began her head-coaching career at Ball State in 1999 and took a program that had been 66-169 in the past nine seasons to records of 16-3 and 19-9 and two NCAA tournaments before moving to Minnesota in 2001.

Frese orchestrated the best one-year turnaround in Big Ten history, taking a team that had gone 8-20 in 2000-01 and guiding them to a 22-8 record last season. Her turnaround heroics ended in the NCAA second round against the ACC's own North Carolina Tar Heels, but her amazing reversal of Minnesota's fortunes still earned Frese AP National Coach of the Year honors.

OLIVER JOINS TERPS
2002 AP National Coach of the Year Brenda Frese added her first recruit to the Terrapin women's basketball roster in 6-3 junior college transfer Delvona Oliver (Euclid, Ohio). Oliver, a center from Cincinnati State Technical and Community College, is enrolled in summer classes at Maryland and should provide and interior boost to the Terps' lineup.

"Delvona is going to have an immediate effect on the post presence for us with her experience," said Frese. "She'll be able to come in and have an impact for us this season."

Oliver earned second-team All-America recognition from the National Junior College Athletic Association and averaged 18.1 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game in the 2000-01 season. She earned most valuable player honors at the Ohio Community College Athletic Conference postseason tournament.

Oliver, who is practicing with the team, will not be eligible to play until the second semester.

GREAT BEGINNINGS
Maryland's women's basketball team will always hold the distinction of playing the first-ever basketball game in the Comcast Center, men's or women's, when it hosts Loyola on Nov. 22. That game begins at 7 p.m.

The Terrapin women even open the exhibition season first, hosting Basketball Travelers on Nov. 2 at 7 p.m.

MARYLAND ON TV
Maryland will be on television at least four times this season as part of the ACC women's basketball television schedule. The Terps' first televised game will be the Jan. 19 game at Virginia with a start time of 1 p.m. The remainder of the Terps' television schedule is below, including two home games, which will afford Maryland fans throughout ACC country to take a peek inside the Comcast Center.

MARYLAND'S TELEVISION GAMES
J19	at Virginia *		1:00 p.m.
J27	NORTH CAROLINA *	7:00 p.m.
F16	at Florida State *	1:00 p.m.
F24	DUKE *	             	7:00 p.m. 

TERPS' RADIO COVERAGE
Nearly every Maryland game this season will be carried over the air by either the Terrapin Sports Network or Maryland's student radio station, WMUC. This year, the Maryland women welcome back Johnny Holliday, the Voice of the Terps, as the play-by-play announcer for Maryland.

Games carried on the Terrapin Sports Network can be heard on affiliates throughout the Maryland and Baltimore areas. Maryland games, road and home, that are broadcast by WMUC can be heard on 88.1 FM as well as on the web at www.wmuc.com and www.wmucsports.com.

WELCOME BACK!
Maryland has three starters and three other letterwinners returning to the squad this season. Senior Renneika Razor (New York, N.Y.), a member of the ACC's all-defense team last season, is back to lead a host of talented starting guards for the Terps. Razor averaged 8.2 ppg last season and grabbed 4.5 rpg. She is on pace to land among the Terps' best ever in steals (averaging 2.1 per game last year) and also pitched in 2.5 assists per game last season. She started 27 out of 30 Terps' games.

Senior Terri Daniels (Ellicott City, Md.), one of Maryland's most proficient 3-point shooters of all time, posted averages of 4.6 ppg and 4.5 rpg last season. She ranked among the best in ACC games in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.43) and drained .359 of her 3-point attempts last season.

Junior Vicki Brick (Timonium, Md.) is the only non-senior returning to the starting line-up. Brick was the ACC's leader in assist-to turnover ratio, 1.95, and was the team's starting once again. Brick was a freshman sensation at the point guard slot for the Terps before tearing her ACL before the 2000-01 season. She was back again last season and will be the Terrapins' floor leader once again this season. In 2001-02, she averaged 3.7 apg and 2.0 spg. Additionally, she added 4.7 ppg and 2.2 rpg for Maryland last season.