Women's Hoops Shatters All-Time Single-Season Attendance Record
3/1/2005 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
March 1, 2005
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - A record number of fans came to support the Maryland women's basketball team this season. A school-record 65,542 fans attended 15 Terp women's basketball games during the 2004-05 regular season, more than 23,000 over the previous mark set last year.
Ranked 23rd in the nation in average attendance, Maryland averaged 4,169 fans per game, also a school record. On Feb. 13, the Terps drew an ACC single-game record of 17,243 when they hosted Duke. It was the fourth-largest in the nation and one of only two attendance marks in the national top 15 not featuring Tennessee or Connecticut.
"The Maryland fans have been great. They have been extremely supportive all season," said head coach Brenda Frese. "Our players have loved the atmosphere this season and enjoy running out of the tunnel to hear the crowd cheer them on. We are looking forward to playing before our home fans at the NCAA Tournament on March 20 and 22."
After the Blue Devils played the Terps in front of the the record-setting crowd, Duke head coach Gail Goestenkors commented, "It was just a tremendous environment for women's basketball. I'm really impressed with the job that Brenda Frese has done here and this crowd was just tremendous."
Maryland's attendance marks have improved 150 percent since Frese arrived three years ago. In her first season (2002-03), the Terps drew 24,612 fans in 14 home contests for an average of 2,051, which ranked 53rd nationally.
Last year, the Terps ranked 45th in average attendance (2,548) in 15 games when a total of 38,759 fans came to Comcast Center to support the Terps.
Maryland will host the first and second rounds of the 2005 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament at Comcast Center on March 20-22.
All-Time Maryland Women's Basketball Attendance Records
Year Games Total Avg. Ranking 2004-05 15 62,542 4,169 23rd 2003-04 15 38,759 2,584 45th 2002-03 14 24,612 2,051 53rd 2001-02 15 25,200 1,681 70th 2000-01 17 21,870 1,286 93rd 1999-00 14 19,701 1,407 82nd 1998-99 15 19,401 1,293 81st 1997-98 13 14,873 1,144 85th 1996-97 13 20,124 1,342 1995-96 13 15,301 1,177 60th 1994-95 16 13,334 833 1993-94 13 17,541 1,349 1992-93 15 32,708 2,181 1991-92 14 35,592 2,542 1990-91 13 11,385 876
