Four nationally ranked teams, led by the No. 5 Baylor Lady Bears, will compete in Friday’s first-round action of the fourth-annual Gulf Coast Showcase at Germain Arena as the women take the stage this weekend. The eight-team tournament will crown a new champion on Sunday night. Later today, the men’s “mid-major” tournament will conclude with Houston battling Vermont in the championship game.
The Baylor women (3-1) are joined in the tournament by No. 8 Ohio State (3-1), No. 11 Syracuse (3-1) and No. 18 DePaul (3-0). Baylor’s loss came to No. 2 UConn and Ohio State’s loss came to No. 3 South Carolina. The Buckeyes will take the floor against local-favorite FGCU to open the evening session at 5 p.m. Friday. FGCU, which has dominated the Atlantic Sun Conference by winning the league the past six seasons, will provide a significant first-round test for Ohio State.
“This event continues to mature and now you’re starting to see not one or two top teams in women’s college basketball, but four ranked teams,” said Debbie Antonelli, ESPN analyst and tournament director. “Add in Kent State, WKU, FGCU and George Washington – all very well-respected teams – and you have the best women’s college basketball tournament in the nation here in Fort Myers.”
Golisano’s Children Hospital serves as the event’s beneficiary. The Friday night session will be “Golisano’s Kids Night” where children can gain free admittance and eat free as well. Families will enjoy being courtside with inflatables, face painters, balloon twisters, as well as a special appearance by the Chick-fil-A mascot. To participate, each child is admitted free with the purchase of one adult general admission ticket for $14. To purchase tickets, visit www.ticketmaster.com or the Germain Arena box office. In addition, kids 12-and-under will eat free in Breakaway Sports Pub at Germain Arena with the purchase of an adult meal.
Friday, Nov. 25 (First Round)
11 a.m. ET – Baylor vs. Kent State
1:30 p.m. ET – DePaul vs. Western Kentucky
5:00 p.m. ET – Ohio State vs. FGCU
7:30 p.m. ET – Syracuse vs. George Washington
Saturday, Nov. 26
11 a.m. ET – Consolation (Losers Game 1 vs. 2)
1:30 p.m. ET – Consolation (Losers Game 3 vs. 4)
5 p.m. ET – Semifinals (Winners Game 1 vs. 2)
7:30 p.m. ET – Semifinals (Winners Game 3 vs. 4)
Sunday, Nov. 27
11 a.m. ET – 7th place game
1:30 p.m. ET – 5th place game
5 p.m. ET – 3rd place game
7:30 p.m. ET – Women’s Championship Game
Live Streaming Announced
All 12 games of the Women’s Gulf Coast Showcase will be streamed on bd Global’s YouTube channel, the bd Global Sports Network. Game broadcasts can be seen online atwww.youtube.com/bdglobalsportsnetwork or through the YouTube app on Android, iOS and AppleTV by subscribing to the bd Global Sports Network channel.
For those not able to watch, live stats will be available at www.gulfcoastshowcase.com.
Ticket Information
Tickets for the 2016 Gulf Coast Showcase are on-sale now at GermainArena.com or through Ticketmaster and will be available at the Germain Arena box office on game-days. Single session tickets range from $14 General Admission to $49 Courtside for each two-game session. Each day of the tournament will feature an afternoon session (starting at 11 a.m.) and evening session (5 p.m.) and tickets will be good for both games of a given session.
About Lee Health Foundation
Lee Health Foundation raises philanthropic dollars on behalf of Lee Health including Cape Coral Hospital, Gulf Coast Medical Center, HealthPark Medical Center, Lee Memorial Hospital, and Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida. The Foundation provides financial support for many service areas including the Regional Cancer Center, Lee Health – Coconut Point, The Rehabilitation Hospital, Shipley Cardiothoracic Center, Community Health Clinics and Golisano Children’s Hospital Specialty Clinics in both Charlotte and Naples. Over the past two years, the Foundation has distributed more than $53 million to Lee Health to support its lifesaving mission.
About bd Global
bd Global, LLC is a representation, event management, and public relations firm operating on an international platform within the sports marketing industry. bdG manages multiple college basketball events in the United States each season with events in Southwest Florida, Houston, Las Vegas and Vancouver, as well as two Web.com Tour events in The Bahamas. For more information, visit www.bdglobalsports.com or follow on @bdGlobalSports on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.