The Terps will play Washington State, Green Bay and UMass.
Maryland women’s basketball snapped a two-game losing streak Sunday with an 83-81 win over Syracuse.
Now unranked for the first time since the 2010-11 season, the Terps will play in the Cancun Challenge, a series of three games over three days, starting on Thursday.
The Terps will face No. 23 Washington State on Thursday at 11 a.m., Green Bay on Friday at 1:30 p.m. and UMass on Saturday at 11 a.m. All three games will be streamed on FloHoops.
No. 23 Washington State Cougars (5-0, 0-0 Pac-12)
The reigning Pac-12 Tournament champions are on a mission to get back to the NCAA Tournament.
Last season ended poorly for Washington State, losing in the first game of the NCAA Tournament to No. 12-seed Florida Gulf Coast.
However, the Cougars have been flawless to start this season with five straight victories. Their most impressive win came in overtime over Gonzaga, 77-72.
Players to know
Charlisse Leger-Walker, senior guard, No. 5 — Leger-Walker doesn’t have much more to prove after being named an AP All-American honorable mention last season. She leads the team with an average of 14.8 points per game, but is only shooting 33.3% from the field.
Bella Murekatete, fifth-year center, No. 55 — Murekatete has proven to be one of the most important players on the team so far, averaging 14.8 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. The 6-foot-3 center is also averaging more than a block per game.
Beyonce Bea, graduate guard/forward, No. 25 — An All-Big Sky first-team selection at Idaho last season, Bea has started off well with the Cougars, averaging 8.2 rebounds per game.
Strength
Paint protection. Washington State has two players who protect the paint well in Murekatete and freshman center Alex Covill. The Cougars average a conference-high 7.8 blocks per game, which is also the fifth-highest mark in the country.
Weakness
A 60-minute performance. Even though they’re undefeated, the Cougars have struggled to score for a full four quarters. They’ve shot 43.8% from the field this season and 28% from three, which is the second-lowest mark in the Pac-12.
Green Bay Phoenix (2-1, 0-0 Horizon League)
Despite playing in a mid-major conference, Green Bay has made the NCAA Tournament in two of the past six seasons.
It has been up-and-down start for the Phoenix this season, but they are coming off a shocking victory over No. 22 Creighton, 65-53.
Players to know
Callie Genke, junior guard, No. 12 — Genke leads the team with 14.7 points per game. She started the season shooting 48.1% from the field and 44.4% from three on a team-high 18 attempts from distance. She also averages a steal per game.
Cassie Schiltz, redshirt junior guard, No. 1 — Schiltz has been all over the floor making an impact in her first three games. She’s averaging 10.7 points and a team-high four rebounds per game.
Maddy Schreiber, junior guard/forward, No. 34 — Schreiber was named to the Horizon League All-Freshman team two years ago, but got injured last season. This year, she’s looked solid, averaging 9.7 points and 3.3 rebounds per game.
Strength
Efficient scoring. While the Phoenix only average 55.7 shot attempts per game, which ranks second to last in the Horizon League, they’ve shot a conference-best 49.7% from the field.
Weakness
Lack of an inside presence. The Phoenix average 22.3 defensive rebounds per game, the worst mark in the conference. No player averages more than five rebounds per contest.
UMass Minutewomen (1-4, 0-0 Atlantic 10)
Coming off two straight impressive seasons, the Minutewomen have struggled out of the gates in 2023. They are on a four-game losing streak and have lost three of those games by at least 10 points. UMass lost by double digits to Harvard, which the Terps beat by 23.
Players to know
Stefanie Kulesza, junior guard, No. 44 — Kulesza has been UMass’ main source of offense this season, averaging a team-high 14 points per game while shooting 46.8% from the field. But it’s on the glass where she’s been most effective, averaging 9.0 rebounds per game, which ranks third in the conference.
Bre Bellamy, graduate forward, No. 20— The William & Mary transfer is averaging 9.4 points and 5.8 rebounds per game.
Kristin Williams, junior guard, No. 5 — Outside of Kulesza, Williams is the only Minutewoman averaging double-digit points (11). She also has a team-high 17 assists.
Strength
Assists. While the team as a whole languishes near the bottom of the conference in most offensive statistics, it ranks highly in assists. UMass is the ninth-best team in the A-10 in passing, averaging 12.2 assists per game.
Weakness
Total offense. UMass has averaged 59.4 points per game, the third-worst mark in its conference.
Three things to watch
1. Will Kubek start? With the lack of success to start this season, it’s not out of the realm of consideration to think lineup changes could be in order for Maryland. Given that forward Faith Masonius is averaging just 5.3 points and 3.3 rebounds per game, forward Allie Kubek could earn a spot in the starting lineup. She’s coming off a 23-point, 8-rebound performance against Syracuse, and could be a starter by the end of the weekend.
2. Can Sellers limit the turnovers? Recently, Shyanne Sellers has struggled to take care of the ball. In her last three games, she’s averaged a team-high 6.3 turnovers per game. If she can cut down on turnovers, Maryland shouldn’t have much of a problem winning out this weekend.
3. Unranked for the first time in over a decade. The word consistency comes to mind when discussing the Maryland women’s basketball program under Brenda Frese. However, for the first time in 13 years, the Terps will be playing as an unranked team. It will be interesting to see what type of psychological effect this could have on them.