Completed Event: Women's Basketball at Eastern Kentucky on March 19, 2026 , Loss , 58, to, 72
Final Score
Women's Basketball
58
at Eastern Kentucky
72
The University of Utah Athletics
Utah Faces Host Maryland in NCAA Second Round
3/23/2009 12:00 AM | Women's Basketball
March 23, 2009
Complete Release in PDF Format 
Tuesday, March 24, 7:00 p.m. ET - College Park, Md. (Comcast Center)
Radio: KALL 700 (Play-by-Play by Chris Tunis)
TV: ESPN2* (Commentary by Mike Patrick and Deb Antonelli)
Live stats available at UtahUtes.com with video also available at ESPN360.com
*The game is available in its entirety throughout the state of Utah. Fans watching on cable will need to be on ESPN2's standard definition channel. Fans watching on satellite can see the game on an alternate ESPN channel. Otherwise, you will receive the national coverage that shows the 'best' game on at the moment. For more information, please click here: Television Coverage Map
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Utah plays its second game of the NCAA Tournament against No. 1 seeded Maryland (29-4) on Tuesday, March 24, in the Comcast Center at 7:00 p.m. ET (5:00 p.m. MT). The game is available on ESPN2 with commentary by Mike Patrick and Deb Antonelli with radio on KALL 700 from Chris Tunis.
With Utah's 60-30 victory over Villanova on Sunday, March 22, the Utes have advanced to the second round for the sixth time in team history. Utah held Villanova to just 30 points, which is the third-lowest points that have ever been scored in an NCAA Tournament game. In addition, the Ute's 30-point victory is the largest win in Utah's NCAA Tournament history. Katie King tied her career-high with 18 points in the game.
Utah and Maryland have recent history in the tournament, as the eventual national champion Terps knocked the Utes out of the tournament in overtime in 2006, 75-65. Morgan Warburton was the only current Ute to play in that game, scoring 11 points. For Maryland, Krisi Toliver and Marissa Coleman both started. For more on that game, see page five.
Former Utah assistant coach Daron Park is in his second season as an assistant at Maryland. He coached at Utah from 2004-07 and was part of Utah's Elite Eight run in 2006. Park also coached at Utah's Westminster College, serving as head coach from 2000-04.
Head coach Elaine Elliott and the players met with the media on Monday following their practice. Below is a transcript from their press conference.
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Opening Statement: "This is just a great tournament. It's a chance for everybody to get some things done. We had a nice first round game and we're looking forward to a second round chance as well. I thought our preparation's good and our attitude is good, so we're excited to play."
Reporter: "Does the Maryland crowd make you nervous or bother you for tomorrow's game?"
Warburton: "We're used to that in The Pit in Albuquerque. There are a lot of fans there and we know how loud it's going to be. We've been around it so I don't think it's really intimidating for our team."
Reporter: "Morgan, what do you remember from the Elite Eight loss to Maryland in 2006?"
Warburton: "It was just really exciting to be able to go that far in the tournament as a freshman and to be able to see what it takes to get there I think was really good. That was just a really hard game. I just remember how tired the players were and what it took to get into that overtime. We didn't end up with the win, but it was a hard-fought game. It was really exciting."
Reporter: "Do you feel like you have some unfinished business against Maryland to take care of?"
Warburton: "I guess you could look at it like that. It's just good to be here and to be able to play. Maryland's obviously a very good team. They've shown that the whole year and in the past. I think we're ready to play, though. We're not going to back down and I know we're going to come and do everything we can. Whatever happens, happens and I know we're just going to play hard."
Reporter: "How do you defend Kristi Toliver and Marissa Coleman tomorrow?"
Whipple: "They're a really good 1-2 punch. I think just defending them our goal is to contain Toliver and Coleman because I think that they're so good, you're not going to completely shut them down. They're great players so I think our goal is to just contain them and just do our best on them. We'll help each other off of others." Elliott: "Kristi's the one that beat us three years ago. She went for 28 or 30 points as a freshman. They do what you should do: they give the ball to their best player and they let her make plays, both for herself and for everyone else on the team. There isn't anybody that we would say, `Oh, yeah we're going to put such-and-such on her and that's going to change.' She just is. You always just try to feel like they have their normal nights, but not their fantastic nights. Obviously, those kinds of players will beat you with fantastic nights. If we can hold them to good nights, that's better than not."
Reporter: "Anything from your loss last year at Purdue in the tournament that you think can help you this year?"
Warburton: "For me, just knowing it's my senior year. I want to go out, and whatever happens, just knowing that I played my best and my team played our best. Last year just kind of left a bad taste in your mouth, knowing that you were finished after an incredible year that you had. You just have to look at it that way. They have the advantage, but at the same time, we can come in here and do what we can and see what happens."
Reporter: "Can you talk a little more about the 2006 tournament game against Maryland?"
Elliott: "We were at the line with two free throws and down by one. We made only one of those free throws, so we tied the game. They had six seconds or something and did not obviously score, so it was an overtime game. Obviously, in our estimation, we were a free throw away. Ultimately, in that particular game we could not, over the course of 45 minutes, overcome the difference in mass. We lost in overtime because we just were smaller and they just finally took over at the rim and just got put-backs. We were sort of strong enough for 40 minutes, not quite for 45. In this game, there are similarities. I mean, they're the bigger, stronger team. One of the areas that we must feel like at the end that we didn't get hammered on is the bull pushing us out of the way as they go get their put-backs. That's huge. Three years ago, we had that opportunity and were able to manage that disadvantage, but not for 45 minutes."
Reporter: "Can you talk about how Daron Park, a former assistant of yours, is now with Maryland?"
Elliott: "I have a lot of those assistants on the other side these days and they want to beat me more than probably anyone else they play. That's exactly what's going on on that side. He's kind and has opened his home to families and he's telling them he can't wait to kick our you-know-whats. That's competition and you know we're trying to do the same."
Reporter: "Is Maryland's transition game what makes them more dangerous?"
Elliott: "Rebounding was one of the dangerous things; the No. 1 is their transition game, without a doubt. Maryland's transition game is really more like you're not ready to defend that soon and they're ready to shoot and go at you that soon. That's what makes it difficult is you may have kids back, you may have numbers back, the difference is if you're not ready to defend earlier than they're ready to go, they love that. They're very good at that."
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Basketball
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