FORT MYERS, Fla. (August 24, 2022) – Intersport has announced the schedule and game times for the inaugural Elevance Health Women’s Fort Myers Tip-Off, a four-team college basketball event that will take place Nov. 25-27 at Suncoast Credit Union Arena in Fort Myers, Fla. Five-time Final Four participant and perennial championship contender Maryland highlights the inaugural field that also includes six-time Big East regular season champion DePaul, Pitt and Towson.

Each team will play the other three in a round-robin format over the course of the three-day event. Two games will be held each day at Suncoast Credit Union Arena, home of Florida SouthWestern State College. Friday’s Maryland-DePaul matchup will air on FS1 and FS2, while the remaining games will be available on a streaming platform to be announced in the coming weeks. Below is the game schedule:

Travel packages for the Elevance Health Women’s Fort Myers Tip-Off are on sale now and can be purchased by visiting www.womensfortmyerstipoff.com. The Westin Cape Coral and Marina Village is the event’s host hotel and fans will have the opportunity to stay where the teams stay and experience resort life to the fullest. Additionally, the Luminary Hotel & Co., a boutique hotel that opened in September 2020, is the premium destination to enjoy the many attractions of historic and lively downtown Fort Myers.

“We’re excited to welcome a supremely talented quartet of teams to be part of the first edition of the Elevance Health Women’s Fort Myers Tip-Off,” said Mark Starsiak, vice president of basketball at Intersport and event director. “Our goal as event organizers is to create a first-class experience for participating teams, both on and off the court. With the help of our partners at Elevance Health, we are eager to deliver on that commitment and help DePaul, Maryland, Pitt and Towson and their fans enjoy their experience in Lee County and Southwest Florida this November.”

Over the last 20 years, Maryland and DePaul have amassed an impressive collection of hardware that make them two of the most recognized women’s programs in the nation. Since 2004, the Terrapins have won a combined 14 conference regular season and tournament championships along with a national championship, while the Blue Demons have taken home a combined 12 conference titles. Led by fifth-year head coach Lance White, Pitt is positioning itself for a return to the postseason after assembling consecutive recruiting classes that have seen plenty of on-court experience over the years. Finally, Towson is coming off a season in which it recorded a program record 24 wins, while new head coach Laura Harper comes to the program after two years at Coppin State. Harper was also a player under Maryland head coach Brenda Frese when the Terrapins won the 2006 national championship.

The Elevance Health Women’s Fort Myers Tip-Off is the third event as part of Intersport’s series of basketball competitions held in Southwest Florida during Thanksgiving Week. What started as a four-team, four-game men’s event in 2018 has expanded to a 12-team, 14-game celebration of men’s and women’s college basketball in 2022. After initially staging one men’s four-team early season event in 2018, the Rocket Mortgage Fort Myers Tip-Off expanded to two men’s divisions, the Beach and the Palms, in 2021, ahead of the inaugural women’s event. The Fort Myers Tip-Off will also become just the fifth early season event that consists of both a men’s and women’s component during the non-conference season.

“We are fortunate to have fantastic partners that are eager to be part of the basketball atmosphere in Fort Myers and that has allowed our team at Intersport to continue to grow that presence in Lee County and Southwest Florida,” said Starsiak. “For the Fort Myers Tip-Off brand to grow as significantly as it has since its launch in 2018 to now welcoming 12 top programs is a testament to the men’s and women’s college basketball community and all of Southwest Florida for embracing this event. We are proud of its growth and are looking forward to welcoming the teams and their fans to Fort Myers this November.”

For more information on Elevance Health Women’s Fort Myers Tip-Off, visit www.womensfortmyerstipoff.com and follow us on Twitter and Instagram (@FtMyersTipoff).

DePaul Blue Demons

• Doug Bruno, one of the longest active coaches in college basketball, enters his 37th season as DePaul’s head coach
• The Blue Demons have appeared in 25 NCAA Tournaments and have won a combined 21 conference championships (9 conference tournaments and 12 conference regular season titles)
• Last season, the Blue Demons won 22 games and made a return trip to the NCAA Tournament
• DePaul will return consensus National Freshman of the Year and Second-Team All-American Aneesah Morrow

Maryland Terrapins

• Brenda Frese enters her 21st season as head coach of the Terrapins, posting 535 victories in her tenure with the program
• Overall, Maryland has earned 1,078 victories and 29 NCAA Tournament appearances, including five Final Fours
• Last season, Maryland advanced to its 15th NCAA Regional Semifinal
• Maryland will welcome nine newcomers to their squad this season, including AP Honorable Mention All-American Abby Meyers and three other All-League transfers

Pitt Panthers

• Lance White enters his fifth season with the Pitt program, and is coming off a season that saw the program more than double its win total from 2021
• Pitt will be buoyed by the return of seven of the team’s eight leading scorers from last year, led by seniors Dayshanette Harris and Amber Brown
• Pitt will also welcome five newcomers to the program, including Maryland transfer Channise Lewis, who started 45 of 68 career games from the Terrapins
• The Panthers turned into one of the best rebounding teams in the country a season ago as they led the ACC and ranked ninth nationally in rebounds per game (43.9 rpg) while also leading the ACC and ranking 14th in the NCAA in offensive rebounds per game (15.6 orpg)

Towson Tigers

• Towson is led by first-year head coach Laura Harper, a former Maryland star who earned NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player honors in the Terrapins national championship victory in 2006
• Harper comes to Towson following two seasons with Coppin State, where she was named MEAC Coach of the Year in 2022 after leading the team to its first winning season since 2014
• The Tigers return a pair of major contributors from last year’s team, including CAA Sixth Player of the Year Kylie Kornegay-Lucas and starting forward Anissa Rivera

About Intersport

Since 1985, Intersport has been an award-winning innovator and leader in the creation of sports, lifestyle, culinary and entertainment-based marketing platforms. With expertise in Sponsorship Consulting, Experiential Marketing, Hospitality, Customer Engagement, Content Marketing, Productions and Sports Properties, this Chicago-based Marketing & Media Solutions Company helps their clients to create ideas, content and experiences that attract and engage passionate audiences. To learn more about Intersport, visit www.intersport.global, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagram.

About Elevance Health, Inc.

Elevance Health is a lifetime, trusted health partner fueled by its purpose to improve the health of humanity. The company supports consumers, families, and communities across the entire care journey – connecting them to the care, support, and resources they need to lead healthier lives. Elevance Health’s companies serve more than 118 million people through a diverse portfolio of industry-leading medical, digital, pharmacy, behavioral, clinical, and complex care solutions. For more information, please visit www.elevancehealth.com or follow us @ElevanceHealth on Twitter and Elevance Health on LinkedIn.