March 16, 2010
Should the Terps advance, Maryland will host the WNIT Second Round on Sunday, March 21 (time TBA). Tickets may be purchased in advance at umterps.com or by phone at 800-IM-A-TERP.
**The WNIT selects game times, days and locations on a round by round basis. All information regarding subsequent games will be announced on umterps.com as soon as it is confirmed by the WNIT.**
Game Notes 
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2010 WNIT Bracket
Purchase Tickets | Watch the game on TerpsTV
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
Maryland will make its 24th postseason appearance after accepting a bid in the 2010 Women's National Invitational Tournament announced Monday night. The Terrapins will host Iona of the Metro Atlantic Conference Friday, March 19 in the first round in Comcast Center. Game time is set at 7 p.m. ET. Tickets go on sale Tuesday, March 16 at 8:30 a.m. at www.umterps.com or by phone at 1-800-IM-A-TERP.
Sixty-four teams were selected to participate in the post season tournament. This is the first year of the expanded Postseason WNIT, and the field includes 31 teams that earned automatic berths and 33 teams that earned at-large berths.
"We feel the opportunity to take our young players into postseason in the WNIT, as well as to have more practice time, is a positive thing for us," head coach Brenda Frese said.
The appearance marks Maryland's second all-time appearance in the WNIT. The Terps have a 2-1 record in the postseason event, after advancing to the quarterfinals in 2000 under former head coach Chris Weller. The Terrapins defeated Georgetown 63-46 in the first round of play and went on to an overtime win against ACC foe Virginia Tech, 68-60, to advance to the quarters. Maryland's lone loss in the WNIT came against eventual tournament runner-up Florida, 57-77. The Gators went on to the final round but were defeated by Wisconsin.
"We have high standards at Maryland and are disappointed to not make the NCAA tournament this year. However, I'm proud of this young team for the fight they showed all season," said Frese. "We knew there were going to be a lot of challenges and it is really rewarding to see the growth and development of our young players. We'll use the WNIT to allow us more practice and game time together to keep improving. Every day we play together is a chance to get better. We'll use this season away from the `Big Dance' to fuel our returning and incoming players during the off-season and next year."
Frese led her young team made up of nine freshmen and sophomores and one senior to a 19-12 overall record, including a 5-9 mark in conference play. Maryland faced seven NCAA-bound teams, which included an upset win over Virginia on the road, and a first round ACC Tournament victory over North Carolina. They also took a veteran, top-10 Duke squad down to the wire multiple times, dropping games by just one and two points.
Maryland is 2-0 all-time vs. Iona, playing both games in College Park. The teams last met on Jan. 22, 1997 ending with a 95-41 Terp victory.
The Terrapins are led by All-ACC Third Team selection sophomore Lynetta Kizer who averages 13 points per game and 7.6 rebounds. The 6-3 forward was also named to the ACC All-Tournament second team after averaging 19 points per game, including a double-double performance against North Carolina in the first round. ACC All-Freshman team member Diandra Tchatchouang also averages double-digit points with 11.9. Tchatchouang leads the Terps in blocks with 43. Senior guard Lori Bjork averaged 12.0 points per game in the ACC Tournament is second in the conference in three-pointers made (77) and percentage (.410).
The Gaels will be making their third ever appearance in postseason play, having made previous appearances in the WNIT in 2007 and 2008. Iona finished second in the MAAC with an 18-13 record. Thazina Cook leads the Gaels with 14.9 points per game and 7.3 rebounds. Iona's Anna McLean is the team's top rebounder with 8.3 boards per game and 11.5 points per contest.
Tickets go on sale Tuesday, March 16 at 8:30 a.m. Fans can purchase tickets online at www.umterps.com or by phone at 1-800-IM-A-TERP. General Admission seats are only $10 for adults and $8 for children, while reserved seats are just $12.
Season ticket holders have until NOON on Wednesday, March 17 to reserve their same seats before all seats are made available to the general public.
Should Maryland advance, it would play the winner of Drexel and East Carolina with a time and date to be determined. If the Terrapins continue to advance through to the quarterfinals, they could find themselves face-to-face with ACC foes Wake Forest or Miami.
