April 1, 2009
ST. LOUIS - The U.S. Basketball Writers Association announced today that Maryland seniors Marissa Coleman and Kristi Toliver were selected to the organization's 11-member All-America Team.
Toliver collected her second straight USBWA All-America nod and becomes the second Terrapin to be named to the team multiple times, joining former teammate Crystal Langhorne (2006-08). The Terrapins' point guard averaged 18.4 points and 4.9 assists per game, team-highs on a Maryland squad that claimed its first Atlantic Coast Conference regular season and tournament titles in 20 years.
Toliver, a Harrisonburg, Va., native, 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.
Coleman earned her first career USBWA All-American honor and is one of seven first-time selections on the team. She posted averages of 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.
The Maryland guard/forward 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.
The Cheltenham, Md., native 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.
The duo finished their illustrious careers as the all-time winningest class in Maryland history with a career record of 126-19 (.869). The second and third leading scorers in school history, respectively, Coleman and Toliver 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.
Connecticut sophomore Maya Moore, the 2008 USBWA Freshman of the Year, is the 2009 USBWA National Player of the Year, while coach Geno Auriemma has captured USBWA National Coach of the Year honors for the second straight season and fourth time overall.
The 2008-09 USBWA Women's All-America Team features 11 players, due to a tie in the voting.
The U.S. Basketball Writers Association, formed in 1956, has named a women's All-America team since the 1996-97 season. The association has also named a national player of the year since 1987-88 and a national coach of the year since 1989-90. In 2002-03, the USBWA initiated an award for the nation's top freshman.
2008-09 All-America Team
Jayne Appel, Stanford
Chante Black, Duke
DeWanna Bonner, Auburn
Marissa Coleman, Maryland
Jantel Lavender, Ohio State
Angel McCoughtry, Louisville
Renee Montgomery, Connecticut
*Maya Moore, Connecticut
Courtney Paris, Oklahoma
Kristi Toliver, Maryland
Ashley Walker, California
Coach of the Year
Geno Auriemma, Connecticut
Freshman of the Year
Shekinna Stricklen, Tennessee
*Player of the Year
