Iowa-Maryland WBB Game Postponed Due to Safety Concerns in D.C. Area

Due to heightened security and concerns of violence in the D.C. area, Iowa has elected not to travel to Maryland for its game against the Terrapins on Thursday, sources tell SI.

Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen/USA TODAY Network

Due to heightened security and potential concerns about violence in the nation’s capital related to President-Elect Joe Biden’s Wednesday inauguration, Iowa’s women’s basketball team has elected not to travel to Maryland for its game against the Terrapins Thursday, sources told Sports Illustrated.

Iowa officially announced the postponement Tuesday night. 

The game remained on as scheduled as of Tuesday afternoon, but that changed quickly. Attempts will be made to reschedule the game, or it can be declared a no contest. It will not be considered a forfeit.

Maryland’s campus is located in College Park, which is about 13 miles from the White House. The U.S. Capitol was the scene of a deadly insurrection on Jan. 6, when rioters incited by outgoing president Donald Trump stormed the halls of Congress in a violent attack that left five people dead.

The Terrapins’ winter sports teams are all on campus and continuing to practice, and the women’s basketball team was prepared to play Thursday, a source told SI. The general student body is still out on winter break and the game would have been played without fans, which has been the case at all home games thus far this season. The source said the school has received no alerts of threats for its campus.

Since the attack on Congress, security has escalated in D.C. and the area remains on high alert, girding for the possibility of Trump loyalists disrupting the inauguration. The National Guard has had a heavy presence in the city this week. Iowa already had changed its team hotel from near the Maryland campus to near Baltimore-Washington International Airport, which is about 25 miles from College Park.

The Terrapins (11–1, 7–0 in the Big Ten) lead the conference and are ranked seventh nationally. Iowa is 9–3 overall, 5–3 in the league.