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Lady Monarchs to Play in Inaugural Women's Basketball Challenge
Aug. 21, 2012
Springfield, Mass. - Old Dominion University women's basketball will participate in the 2013 Basketball Hall of Fame Challenge, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame today announced. The NCAA women's exempt tournament sponsored by the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference will conclude on Sunday, December 1, 2013 at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, Massachusetts, as the culminating event that also included three previous games held on two campus sites. "We're honored that the Hall of Fame reached out to us, it speaks volumes about how respected the ODU program is," ODU head coach Karen Barefoot said. "This is a great opportunity and tremendous challenge. I'm excited for our players to play against some of the premier programs in the country and for our great fans to travel and experience it with us." Basketball Hall of Fame Challenge - MassMutual Center Schedule: Prior to the neutral site showcase at the MassMutual Center, each team will participate in three scheduled games hosted by the University of Connecticut and Ohio State University. Those games will be played on three consecutive days between November 22 - November 27, 2013. Basketball Hall of Fame Challenge - Campus Round Pools "We are excited to announce the first annual Basketball Hall of Fame Women's Basketball challenge,"said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. "This is a great platform to celebrate Women's athletics as well as showcase some of the best college basketball programs in the country."
The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference will serve as the host conference for this year's event. The MAAC will host the men's and women's basketball championships at the MassMutual Center in Springfield in March 2013 and March 2014 and has developed a strong partnership with the Basketball Hall of Fame, including the opening of a MAAC exhibit in the Hall of Fame museum and hosting the annual men's Basketball Hall of Fame Tip Off Tournament. ODU will play Boston University, the University of Connecticut and St. Bonaventure before playing Marist on Dec. 1. BU finished last year 23-9 and reached the WNIT while St. Bonaventure has had four-straight 20-win seasons, including a 31-4 season a year ago and appearance in the Sweet 16. Marist has won seven-straight MAAC Championships while Connecticut has reached five-straight Final Four's. "It has been a long term goal of the MAAC to sponsor a multi-team women's basketball tournament similar to those the league does for men's basketball so that the conference can showcase some of the highest caliber hoops programs," notes Richard Ensor, Commissioner of the MAAC. "This inaugural field of the Basketball Hall of Fame Challenge is an amazing mix of the strongest programs in the country and some of the best of the mid major ranks. This early season environment is important as teams establish their credentials for post-season selections and seeding," notes Ensor a former NCAA Division I Women's Basketball committee member. "It is important that women's basketball teams have the same number of opportunities for exempt events as the men's teams current have and we commend the Basketball Hall of Fame for stepping up and organizing this showcase for women's hoops in Springfield." Tickets, neutral site game times and campus round dates for the 2013 Basketball Hall of Fame Challenge will be released at a later date. For more information on the Hall of Fame Challenge, log onto www.hoophall.com About the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame: Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the Birthplace of Basketball, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame promotes and preserves the game of basketball at every level - professional, collegiate, men and women.
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