ESTERO, Fla. – Maryland women's basketball will open its 2020-21 season with three games in bdG Sports' #BeachBubble at the Gulf Coast Showcase Thanksgiving weekend in Estero, Fla. Eight men's and six women's teams will play in 21 games at Hertz Arena and FGCU's Alico Arena.
 
Maryland will take on Davidson Friday, Nov. 27 at 2:30 p.m., Missouri State Saturday, Nov. 28 at 5:30 p.m. and Arkansas Sunday, Nov. 29 at 5:30 p.m. All nine games of the women's field will be available live and on-demand on FloHoops.
 
The Gulf Coast Showcase has earned a reputation as one of the most competitive events in women's college basketball. Past champions including UConn, Stanford, Baylor, Notre Dame, South Carolina and Texas.
 
The Terrapins return Big Ten Freshman of the Year Ashley Owusu, and rising sophomores Faith Masonius and Diamond Miller. Redshirt sophomore Mimi Collins will be eligible after transferring to College Park last year and redshirt junior Channise Lewis will return to the court after a knee injury.
 
Frese also welcomes four new Terrapins in Katie Benzan, a guard graduate transfer from Harvard, Chloe Bibby, a guard/forward transfer from Mississippi State, Taisiya Kozlova, a 6-1 freshman guard, and Angel Reese, the No. 2 player in the country in the class of 2020.
 
While FGCU was one of just four women's teams with 30 wins last season, Missouri State (26-4) was crowned champs of the Missouri Valley. Arkansas (24-8) is expected to once again be among the top scoring teams after finishing third in the country last year at 83.4 points per game, while Davidson returns 92 percent of its scoring and is expected to contend for an Atlantic 10 title.
 
The full schedule for the women's event is below.
 
Friday, Nov. 27
Arkansas vs. Wake Forest – 11:30 a.m.
Davidson vs. Maryland – 2:30 p.m.
            Missouri State vs. FGCU – 5:30 p.m.
 
Saturday, Nov. 28
            Wake Forest vs. Davidson – 11:30 a.m.
            FGCU vs. Arkansas – 2:30 p.m.
            Maryland vs. Missouri State – 5:30 p.m.
 
Sunday, Nov. 29
            Davidson vs. FGCU – 11:30 a.m.
            Missouri State vs. Wake Forest – 2:30 p.m.
            Arkansas vs. Maryland – 5:30 p.m.
 
 
Health and Safety Plan
bdG Sports has implanted a comprehensive health and safety plan as part of the #BeachBubble. The plan includes:
 

• COVID-19 testing antigen and antibody testing prior to arrival in Southwest Florida
• Rapid antigen testing provided by Summit One Source upon arrival and throughout the stay
• The availability of rapid PCR testing with a three-hour turnaround time to confirm any positive tests from the antigen testing
• Daily medical screenings which include self-evaluations and temperature screenings
• Implementation of Loop Insights' contract tracing through he "wallet" feature on cell phones
• Social distancing and mask requirements in public spaces at Hyatt Regency Coconut Point and the game venue
• Enhanced cleaning protocols at the resort, game venues and on local ground transportation

 
Fan Information
There will be no general fan access for the Gulf Coast Showcase games and tickets will not be available to the general public. A limited number of "Spectator Credentials" will be supplied to each team. A requirement to receiving these team-issued credentials, all individuals will receive a COVID-19 rapid antigen test at the event's medical center at Hyatt Regency Coconut Point.
 
Complete #BeachBubble event information can be found at www.GulfCoastShowcase.com and on social media at @GCShowcase.