The University of Montana women’s basketball team will face Maryland, ranked No. 2 nationally in 2008-09 preseason polls, as part of the Caribbean Challenge in Cancun, Mexico, over Thanksgiving break in November. The Lady Griz will also face a pair of 20-win WNIT teams from last year, Illinois and South Dakota State, at the round-robin tournament. Games will be played Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, Nov. 26-28, at the Moon Palace Resort.
The Terrapins have gone 95-14 the last three seasons, with an NCAA title in 2006. Maryland was 33-4 last year, finishing second to North Carolina in the ACC with a 13-1 league record. The Terrapins made it to the Elite Eight of the 2008 NCAA Tournament before falling to Stanford, 98-87, in a regional final game played in Spokane, Wash.
Maryland will return three starters in 2008-09, including pre-season All-America candidates Marissa Coleman (6-1, senior, guard/forward) and Kristi Toliver (5-7, senior, guard). Toliver won the 2008 Nancy Lieberman Award in April as the nation’s top point guard.
“This tournament is obviously the highlight of our non-conference schedule,” Montana coach Robin Selvig said. “Maryland is one of the top teams in the country with exciting players. I got a chance to watch them in Spokane, and they are a really talented outfit.”
Illinois went 20-15 in 2007-08 and made its fourth straight appearance in the WNIT. It was the Illini’s 11th post-season tournament appearance in the last 12 years. Illinois ended its season with a 72-64 loss at Marquette in the WNIT’s third round.
Jenna Smith (6-3, junior, forward/center) was a first team All-Big 10 pick last year and an honorable mention Associated Press All-American.
South Dakota State, the 2003 NCAA Division II national champion, made the move to NCAA Division I play in 2004-05 and has continued with the success the Jackrabbits experienced at the Division II level. SDSU went 21-7 in 2004-05, 19-9 in 2005-06, 25-6 in 2006-07 and 23-7 last year, with its second straight trip to the WNIT. South Dakota State made it to the quarterfinals of the WNIT in 2006-07 before losing at Wyoming, the eventual WNIT champion.
The Jackrabbits won the Summit League regular-season title last year with a 16-2 record. The coming season marks the team’s first opportunity to advance to the NCAA Division I tournament.
“Illinois has a really good program, and South Dakota State has done remarkably well in their transition (from Division II to Division I),” Selvig said. “That’s an impressive team with the type of wins, especially on the road, that they’ve been able to get the last few years.”
Lady Griz fans can purchase travel packages for the tournament through Triple Crown Sports. Fan packages include resort accommodations, unlimited meals and beverages and admission to the games. The Moon Palace Resort features 2,031 rooms (most with Caribbean views), 10 buffet and a la carte restaurants, seven bars, including swim-up bars, two oversized pools and two fitness centers.
More information is available at MontanaGrizzlies.com.
“I’m sure we’ll have a pretty good following on this trip,” Selvig said. “This is a fun trip for the players as well. We have done Hawaii, which is a similar type trip, but this will be our first time to Cancun. It’s an opportunity to play against some of the best teams in the country in our non-conference and the type of trip our fans can have a lot of fun with.”
The remainder of Montana’s 2008-09 schedule is still in progress. The Lady Griz will return four starters from last year’s team that went 25-7 and advanced to the program’s 17th NCAA tournament.
Montana Sports Information