Dec. 21, 2011

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COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The fifth-ranked Maryland women's basketball team will join with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and the Team Tyler Foundation for Leukemia Awareness Night, which will be held on Friday, Jan. 6 at the Terps' game vs. Georgia Tech.

Join the Terps to celebrate survivors and their family and friends. The Terrapins invite survivors and their families to come to the game for free. To register for free tickets, please email TerpSports@umd.edu with your full name, the name of the survivor, and the number of tickets you would like to request. Tickets will be placed at will-call under the survivor's name for pick up on the day of the game.

The Team Tyler Foundation was started in honor of head coach Brenda Frese's three-year old son, Tyler Thomas, who was diagnosed with leukemia in September 2010. Team Tyler wristbands and T-shirts will be available for sale. Proceeds will benefit the Team Tyler Foundation, which was started by a group of former Maryland players from the 2006 NCAA Championship team including Marissa Coleman, Shay Doron, Laura Harper and Kristi Toliver, to bring awareness to leukemia and to help children fighting it.

"Our son, Tyler, is living proof that through the combined efforts of a lot of people, we can beat leukemia," head coach Brenda Frese said. "I've been through the devastating feeling of being told a loved one has been diagnosed with leukemia. I want every family to have the same fighting chance that mine has had and benefit from modern medicine triumphing over cancer. That's why we're paying it forward and asking for your support to help make sure there are happy endings for families affected by leukemia. I personally invite you to come out and be a part of our team."

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society National Capital Area Chapter will be on hand to promote awareness and share information on the disease and how to help. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society ® (LLS) is the world's largest voluntary health agency dedicated to blood cancer. The LLS mission: Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. The National Capital Area Chapter serves Washington DC; the Maryland counties of Prince George and Montgomery; and the Virginia Counties of Loudoun, Fairfax, Arlington, Alexandria and Prince William. More than 2,500 patients and families are served by the chapter each year.

For more information on Leukemia Awareness Night, log on to /ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=29700&ATCLID=208139216.

The Terrapins will play host to No. 20 Delaware, East Carolina and Lafayette in the Terrapin Classic Dec. 28-29 at Comcast Center. The Terps will play Lafayette at noon on Dec. 28, with Delaware and ECU in the second game of the day at 2:30 p.m. On Dec. 29, the Terps will play either the Pirates or the Blue Hens at 7 p.m., while the Leopards will play either one at 4:30 p.m.

Maryland is ranked No. 5 in the latest Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today Division I Top 25 Coaches' poll.