March 31, 2009
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - University of Maryland seniors Kristi Toliver and Marissa Coleman were named to the Associated Press' Women's Basketball All-America First and Second Team, respectively, the organization announced today.
Toliver, a point guard, becomes the first Terrapin in school history to be selected a first team AP All-American on the heels of her second team nod as a junior last season. The Harrisonburg, Va., native averaged 18.4 points and 4.9 assists per game, team-highs on a Terrapin squad that claimed their first Atlantic Coast Conference regular season and tournament titles in 20 years.
Toliver led the ACC in assists and 3-pointers in 2008-09. She netted 34 points, one shy of her career-high, in Maryland's rout of seventh-ranked Duke in February - the ACC's single-game high for a player within conference play this season.
The 2009 ACC Player of the Year, Toliver directed the nation's third-highest scoring offense and finished her career as Maryland's third all-time leading scorer (2,078 points). She sank 300 3-pointers in her career, third most in ACC history, and her 751 career assists rank second in league annals. Her 93.9 free-throw percentage (31-for-33) in 16 career NCAA Tournament games is the second-highest clip in tournament history.
Coleman made the AP All-America Second Team after being named an honorable mention selection the past two years. She put together arguably one of the greatest seasons in Maryland history, with 18.1 points, 8.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.9 steals and 0.8 blocks per game as well as a 48.3 field goal percentage and a 37.8 3-point percentage.
She posted 10 double-doubles on the season, none more memorable than her 42-point, 15-rebound effort in the Terps' come-from-behind win over Vanderbilt in the Sweet 16. Her point output on March 28 in Raleigh, N.C., stands as a school record and is the sixth-highest single-game point total in NCAA Tournament history.
Coleman was named a first team All-ACC pick as well as the 2009 ACC Tournament MVP. In leading Maryland to its first league title since 1989, Coleman averaged 23 points, 9.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.7 blocks per game while shooting 54.5 percent from the floor in three tournament contests in Greensboro, N.C.
She became just the eighth player in ACC history to accumulate 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds and the first in league annals to amass over 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, 400 assists, 200 steals and 100 blocks. Her 2,205 career points rank eighth in ACC history and her 1,139 rebounds rank 10th.
The duo finished their illustrious careers as the all-time winningest class in Maryland history with a career record of 126-19 (.869). As freshmen, they claimed the 2006 national title and guided the Terps to a Sweet 16 and two Elite Eight berths to close out their careers. They also became the first duo in ACC history to play together while each possessed 2,000-plus career points.
The AP has named a women's All-American team annually since 1995.
2009 AP All-America Teams
First Team
Courtney Paris, Oklahoma
Renee Montgomery, Connecticut
Maya Moore, Connecticut
Kristi Toliver, Maryland
Angel McCoughtry, Louisville
Second Team
DeWanna Bonner, Auburn
Jayne Appel, Stanford
Marissa Coleman, Maryland
Jantel Lavender, Ohio State
Tina Charles, Connecticut
Third Team
Ashley Walker, Cal
Shavonte Zellous, Pitt
Epiphanny Prince, Rutgers
Chante Black, Duke
Alysha Clark, Middle Tennessee State
