#3/3 Maryland Hosts #23/25 Notre Dame in the Preseason WNIT Semifinals
11/15/2007 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 15, 2007
Game 4
Preseason WNIT • Semifinal
#23/25 Notre Dame (2-0, 0-0 Big East) at
#3/3 Maryland (3-0, 0-0 ACC)
When: Fri., Nov. 16 • 7 p.m.
Where: Comcast Center (17,950) • College Park, Md.
TV: None
Radio: Terrapin Sports Radio (ESPN Radio 1300 AM)/www.umterps.com
Webcast: ACC Select/www.accselect.com
Audio/Video links available at www.umterps.com
Next Up
Preseason WNIT • Final*
(4/4) LSU (2-0)/(17/18) Michigan State (2-0) at
#3/3 Maryland
When: Sun., Nov. 18 • 3 p.m.
Where: Comcast Center (17,950) • College Park, Md.
TV: None
Radio: Maryland All-Access/www.umterps.com
Webcast: ACC Select/www.accselect.com
Audio/Video links available at www.umterps.com
* If Maryland wins semifinal vs. Notre Dame
Quick Hits
• Maryland moved up to No. 3 in the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll after a dominating win over #6/6 Oklahoma over the weekend.
• Maryland is 3-0 for the third-straight season.
• The Terps have had at least two players with double-doubles in all three games, recording seven overall.
• Three Terps overall were selected preseason candidates for the Wade Trophy and Wooden Award.
• Marissa Coleman became the 23rd player in school history to score 1,000 points.
• Kristi Toliver is 4-for-4 this season (including the USA Basketball exhibition) on Maryland's last possession of the first half, including three buzzer beaters.
• The Terrapins 57 rebounds in the game vs. Delaware were the most since grabbing 57 boards in the first round of the 2006 NCAA Tournament against Sacred Heart.
• Maryland returns the second-most experienced team in the nation, with eight-returning letterwinners and 365 combined career starts.
Terps Host Irish in Preseason WNIT Semis
• Third-ranked Maryland hosts No. 23/25 Notre Dame in the semifinals of the Preseason WNIT on Friday, Nov. 16. It is the second ranked opponent the Terps will face in the first four games of the season. ND won the tournament title in 2004.
• Maryland is 3-0 for the third year in a row and will face the Fighting Irish for the first time in 20 years. The winner of this game will advance to the Preseason WNIT championship game on Sunday.
• The game will be broadcast on the internet on the Terrapins Sports Radio Network, with Matt Noble and Dave Preston calling the action for the third year in a row. Fans who can not make it to the game can watch on the internet at ACC Select (www.accselect.com) by purchasing a monthly or yearly subscription.
Terps Move Up to Third in Polls
• After its dominating defeat of then-No. 6 Oklahoma, Maryland moved up a notch to third in this week's Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today Coaches Polls.
• Brenda Frese's latest Terps have found themselves garnering high praise for the second-straight year, remaining in the top five for the second-straight week.
• Eight Maryland opponents also appear in the top 25 poll. The Terps face top-10 foes Rutgers (#6/7) and Oklahoma (#9/8). Conference rivals North Carolina (#7/6) and Duke (#10/9) are also among the top 10.
• The Terps face No. 23/25 Notre Dame in the Preseason WNIT semifinal and also battle No. 16/16 Ohio State and No. 18/19 Florida State. NC State is also rated 24th in the coaches poll. #4/4 LSU and #17/18 Michigan State are possible opponents and could face the Terrapins in the Preseason WNIT.
• Opponents receiving votes are Middle Tennessee State, Georgia Tech, UCLA and Temple.
About the Terps
• Maryland starts the season at 3-0 for the third-straight year. Four players are averaging double figures with junior Kristi Toliver leading the team with 17.0 points per game.
• In three games, the Terrapins have had seven double-doubles, with Toliver posting double-doubles in each game. Senior Jade Perry is averaging a double-double, netting 10.3 points and grabbing 10.0 rebounds per game.
• The Terps were 28-6 last year and return eight letterwinners this season. The team went 10-4 in the ACC last season, finishing third in the standings. Maryland advanced to its fourth-straight NCAA Tournament under head coach Brenda Frese.
• Among the returnees are two-time All-American and National Player of the Year candidate Crystal Langhorne, who has played one game and is nursing a sprained ankle. She led the nation with a 70.7 shooting percentage, leading the team in scoring and rebounding for the second-straight year. She continues to nurse a sprained ankle and saw her first action of the season against Oklahoma.
• Coleman and Toliver were both All-ACC performers last year, along with Langhorne. The trio were named to the Wade Watch preseason candidate list. 2006 NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player Laura Harper is also back for the Terps.
• Joining the Terrapins this season is the No. 2 recruiting class in the nation, which includes four Parade All-Americans. Freshmen Marah Strickland, who has started every game, and Drey Mingo were also WBCA and McDonald's All-Americans.
• The sideline will also have some new faces. Joining Frese and long-time assistant coach Erica Floyd are Daron Park, who spent three years at the University of Utah, and Diane Richardson, who is well known in the Washington, D.C. area as a successful high school coach.
About the Fighting Irish
• Notre Dame advances to the Preseason WNIT after defeating Miami (Ohio), 98-50, and Western Kentucky, 78-59. It is the only two games the Fighting Irish have played so far this season. The team has been ranked in in the Associated Press Poll since the preseason and is 23rd this week. It entered the coaches ranking this week, garnering a No. 25 rating.
• Heading into Friday's matchup, the Irish have four players averaging double figures with Ashley Barlow leading with 18.5 ppg.
• ND returns eight letterwinners from last season's team that went 20-12 and tied for fifth in the Big East with a 10-6 record. Notre Dame also advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
• Among the returnees is the team's leading scorer from a year ago, Charel Allen. She averaged team high of 17.0 points and 6.2 assists per game.
• Leading the Irish is 21st-year head coach Muffet McGraw. She has won over 450 games since arriving in South Bend, Ind.
• SERIES HISTORY: The Terps lead the all-time series, 3-1. The teams had played four times between 1983-87, but have not met since. It will be ND's first trip back to College Park since the 1982-83 season.
Coleman Nets 1,000
• In the win over Delaware in the second round of the Preseason WNIT, junior Marissa Coleman became the 23rd Terrapin in school history to score 1,000 career points. Coleman was the seventh-fastest player in school history to reach the 1,000-point plateau, needing 74 career games to achieve the feat.
• Coleman and teammate Crystal Langhorne are currently the only players on the team with 1,000 career points. Langhorne holds the school record for fastest to reach 1,000, doing so in her sophomore season in just her 60th-career game.
World's Largest Baby Shower
• To help celebrate head coach Brenda Frese's pregnancy, Maryland fans are invited to attend the world's largest baby shower on Friday, Nov. 30 when the Terps take on Ohio State in the inaugural Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
• Fans are encouraged to bring a new and unused toy to the game. All donations will go to the Washington, D.C., chapter of Toys for Tots.
Coming Up
• If the Terps win, they play fourth-ranked LSU or No. 17/18 Michigan State in the championship game of the Preseason WNIT on Sunday, Nov. 18. The site will be determined at the end of Friday night's contest.
