@MizzouWBB To Play in Cancun Challenge in November
5/9/2019 2:37:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Mizzou to play New Mexico and North Carolina Nov. 28-29
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Women's Basketball has been selected to compete in the 2019 Women's Cancun Challenge, as announced Thursday by the tournament officials. Mizzou will face New Mexico and North Carolina as the tournament will take place over Thanksgiving week (Nov. 28-29) at the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera.
It will be the second time Mizzou has competed in the Cancun Challenge, after the Tigers went 1-2 at the 2012 Tournament.
This year's Cancun Challenge field features 10 teams in two formats. The Mayan Tournament includes Florida Gulf Coast, Notre Dame, South Dakota State and South Florida, while the Riviera Tournament features Creighton, Mizzou, New Mexico, North Carolina, Temple and West Virginia. Games take place in the modified ballroom of the all-inclusive Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya, in a setting where teams and fans can walk from their rooms to the restaurants to the games.
Mizzou will play two games in the tournament, first facing off against New Mexico on Thursday, Nov. 28 at 3 p.m. CT, followed by a matchup with North Carolina on Friday, Nov. 29 at 5:30 p.m. CT. Mizzou is 2-1 all-time against New Mexico, and 0-1 against North Carolina. The Lobos are coming off a 24-7 and WNIT appearance in 2018-19, while the Tar Heels are coming off an 18-15 campaign and NCAA Tournament appearance in 2018-19.
In 2019-20, Mizzou will return three players who started a majority of Mizzou's games in 2018-19, including second-leading scorer senior guard Amber Smith (Shreveport, La.) who averaged 12.4 points and 6.9 rebounds per game in her junior campaign. Also returning for the Tigers will be senior guard Jordan Roundtree (St. Louis, Mo.) and redshirt senior forward Hannah Schuchts (Tallahassee, Fla.), who started 24 and 19 games, respectively, in 2018-19. Roundtree averaged 4.3 points and 2.9 rebounds per game, while Schuchts scored 3.7 points per game and the team in blocks with 41.
For all the latest on Mizzou Women's Basketball, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team @MizzouWBB (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook).
Cancun Challenge schedule (all times ET, local time Cancun; home team listed second):
Thursday, Nov. 28
Mayan Tournament
South Dakota State vs. South Florida, 11 a.m. ET
Florida Gulf Coast vs. Notre Dame, 1:30 p.m. ET
Riviera Tournament
Mizzou vs. New Mexico, 4 p.m. ET
West Virginia vs. Creighton, 6 :30 p.m. ET
Temple vs. North Carolina, 9 p.m. ET
Friday, Nov. 29
Mayan Tournament
Notre Dame vs. South Dakota State, 11 a.m. ET
South Florida vs. Florida Gulf Coast, 1:30 p.m. ET
Riviera Tournament
New Mexico vs. West Virginia, 4 p.m. ET
North Carolina vs. Mizzou, 6:30 p.m. ET
Creighton vs. Temple, 9 p.m. ET
Saturday, Nov. 30
Mayan Tournament
South Florida vs. Notre Dame, 11 a.m. ET
South Dakota State vs. Florida Gulf Coast, 1:30 p.m. ET
Team Capsules
MIZZOU
2018-19 Record: 24-11 overall, 10-6 Southeastern Conference (lost to Iowa in Round 2 of NCAA Tournament)
The Tigers have to replace many important pieces, but there's comfort in the return of senior-to-be Amber Smith, who averaged 12.4 ppg and 6.9 rpg, solid numbers for the 5-foot-11 guard. If she can recover in time from a knee injury, Akira Levy can cover the ballhandling chores as a sophomore, and at least two seniors are ready to emerge (Hannah Schuchts and Jordan Roundtree) now that playing time has become available with the graduation of All-American Sophie Cunningham. The arrow is up for Mizzou, as head coach Robin Pingeton has guided the team into the NCAA Tournament for four straight years, the first time since a similar run in the mid-1980s. The team also welcomes the No. 12 ranked recruiting class, from espnW.
NEW MEXICO
2018-19 Record: 24-7 overall, 14-4 Mountain West Conference (lost to Denver in Round 1 of Postseason WNIT)
Through 30 games last year, the Lobos had an RPI of 41, but fortunes dipped after an ACL injury to junior point guard Aisia Robertson. She's hoping to get back on the floor in early 2020; the backcourt has added graduate transfer Ciani Cryor (Rutgers) to help bridge the gap. Another interesting newcomer is 6-foot-4 Celine Dupont, a freshman from the Netherlands who might blunt the effects of losing stalwart post players Jaisa Nunn and Nike McClure. Jayla Everett (13.5 ppg) was the MWC's freshman of the year, and there's more scoring punch looking forward as UTEP transfer Najala Howell is now eligible – she started 31 games as a junior.
NORTH CAROLINA
2018-19 Record: 18-15 overall, 8-8 Atlantic Coast Conference (lost to California in Round 1 of NCAA Tournament)
The Tar Heels have turned to Courtney Banghart after the 33-year head-coach run of Sylvia Hatchell; Banghart won seven Ivy League titles in her 12 years at Princeton. Reaching the NCAA Tournament for the first time in four years was a positive sign for the roster, which returns junior-to-be Janelle Bailey (16.7 ppg and 8.7 rpg) along with 2019-20 seniors Taylor Koenen (9.6 ppg and 6.9 rpg) and Shayla Bennett (11.2 ppg, team-high 132 assists). It's clear that North Carolina can still attract talent, as four-star guard recruit Kennady Tucker agreed this spring to attend the school.
