NEW ROCHELLE, NY – The No. 15 seeded Iona College women's basketball team will be playing the No. 2 seeded Maryland Terrapins in the opening round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament in College Park, MD on Saturday, March 19 at 1:30 PM.
The winner of the contest will battles against the victor of No. 7 Washington vs. No. 10 Penn.
Maryland claimed the No. 2 seed by achieving a 30-3 overall record, and a 16-2 mark in Big 10 conference play. As the top seed, the Terrapins won the BIG10 Conference Championship by taking down No. 9 Iowa in the quarterfinals, No. 12 Northwestern in the semis, and No. 3 Michigan State in the title game.
The Terrapins are currently ranked fifth in the AP Poll, and sixth in the USA Today Coaches Poll. The three losses this year came via the hands of the Connecticut Huskies, and twice to the Ohio State Buckeyes. Maryland has remained in the top ten in both national polls from start-to-finish of the 2015-16 season.
Iona won their first ever Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championship, taking down No. 7 Siena, No. 3 Marist, and top-seeded Quinnipiac in the final. The Maroon & Gold enter the tournament with a 23-11 record, finishing MAAC play at 16-4.
This is the 24th appearance in the NCAA tournament, and Iona's first ever trip to the big dance.
Maryland has defeated the Gaels in their previous three matchups; most recently the Terrapins emerged victorious in the opening round of the women's NIT in 2010 by a final score of 53-88.
Ticket Information
If you are interested in purchasing tickets to this game please contact Tom Moran in the Iona College Ticket Office at athletics@iona.edu. Until 5:00 pm Monday (Mar. 14), tickets are only available to Iona Season Ticket holders and an announcement on availability will follow. Season ticket holders interested should call 914-633-2491.
