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University of Massachusets Athletics
Massachusetts Women's Basketball Invited to Gulf Coast Showcase
July 29, 2021 | Women's Basketball
Minutewomen are coming off of program's first national postseason berth since 1998
ESTERO, Fla. – University of Massachusetts women's basketball has been invited to the ninth-annual Gulf Coast Showcase from Nov. 26-28, it was announced on Thursday by tournament operator bgG Sports. The tournament will take place at Hertz Arena.
Massachusetts will tip off tournament action on Nov. 26 with an 11 a.m. contest against NCAA Tournament participant South Dakota State. Other teams in the field include Charlotte, Iowa State, Kent State, Penn State, St. John's and UCLA.
Opening Round games will take place throughout the day on Nov. 26, with Semifinal action following on Nov. 27 and the tournament Championship coming on Nov. 28. Consolation bracket games will also take place on Nov. 27-28.
The remainder of UMass' non-conference schedule, as well as the Atlantic 10 Conference slate, will be announced once finalized.
The Gulf Coast Showcase owns the reputation as the premier women's in-season event in all of college basketball. Past champions include UConn (2014 Gulf Coast Showcase champion), Stanford (2015), Baylor (2016), Notre Dame (2017), Texas (2018) and Gonzaga (2019).
"Since its inception, the Gulf Coast Showcase has attracted the very best in women's college basketball," said Tournament Director and CBS/ESPN analyst Debbie Antonelli. "I fully expect to see six or seven teams in this year's field playing in the NCAA Tournament in March and our champion competing for a Final Four berth."
The Gulf Coast Showcase will once again support the Golisano Children's Hospital of Southwest Florida. The hospital is the only children's hospital between Tampa and Miami and provides vital health care for the region's sick and injured children and their families. The hospital's facility provides 300,000 square feet of space, 128 pediatric and NICU beds, a 17-bay emergency department, a freestanding pediatric pharmacy and in-hospital school classroom.
Capped by a berth in the WNIT, the 2020-21 season was one to remember with UMass' first national postseason appearance since 1998, in addition to the first trip to the Atlantic 10 Championship Game since '98. On March 22, UMass defeated Ohio in the WNIT Consolation Final, securing head coach Tory Verdi's 150th victory as a collegiate head coach. On that special day, UMass also made history garnering multiple postseason wins for the first time.
Sam Breen had one of the most decorated seasons in program history, earning 2021 WNIT All-Region honors, plus Atlantic 10 All-Conference First Team, All-Championship and All-Academic Team laurels. Following the season, Breen was tabbed CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team. Destiney Philoxy and Sydney Taylor joined Breen on the A-10 All-Championship Team, and Philoxy also was placed on the All-Conference Second Team.
Massachusetts finished 2020-21 with the A-10's top scoring offense (71.7 ppg) and also was the league's top ball distributing team with a 15.2 assists average. Breen's 18 points per game ranked second in the league and Philoxy was tied for fifth nationally with 6.5 assists a night.
Follow UMass women's basketball on Twitter (@UMassWBB), Instagram (UMassWBB) and Facebook (UMass Women's Basketball) for the latest news and updates around the team.
Gulf Coast Showcase Ticket and Fan Travel Information
Fan travel information, including preferred hotel rates at the official tournament resorts, and ticket information can be found at the official event website – www.gulfcoastshowcase.com – and on social media at @GCShowcase.
