3 schools withdraw from Vegas women's tourney

LAS VEGAS -- Three women's hoops teams person withdrawn from a Las Vegas tourney arsenic portion of continuing fallout from a akin lawsuit astatine a Strip edifice implicit Thanksgiving play wherever information concerns were raised.

Dayton, Purdue and Texas A&M are retired of the Las Vegas Holiday Hoops Classic astatine South Point Arena. Those schools, according to tourney operations manager Bret Seymour, had agreed to beryllium additions to his tourney successful coordination with officials from Destination Basketball, which ran the Las Vegas Invitational past period astatine The Mirage.

"We are each astir giving our players the accidental to play the crippled they love," Texas A&M manager Joni Taylor said successful a statement. "Given the circumstances surrounding the Las Vegas Invitational, we decided to retreat from the tournament. We are precise thankful to Purdue for being adaptable and for allowing america to big them" instead.

The Las Vegas Invitational experienced galore problems, including not having aesculapian unit connected site, which resulted successful Auburn freshman Kharyssa Richardson laying connected the tribunal for 50 minutes aft falling hard and appearing to deed her caput earlier EMTs arrived.

Indiana manager Teri Moren considered not playing aft Richardson's injury, but the now-No. 4 Hoosiers took the tribunal and bushed Memphis 79-64. Moren said aft the crippled she thought women's hoops "had taken a mates of steps backwards'' arsenic a effect of tourney conditions that besides included fans sitting connected folding chairs alternatively than bleachers.

The Las Vegas Holiday Hoops Classic volition beryllium played Dec. 19-21 and includes Campbell, Cleveland State, Jacksonville State, Lindenwood and Utah Tech.

"The 5 teams that are going to beryllium astatine the South Point were 5 teams we already had," Seymour said. "To beryllium honest, our different 5 are blessed they (the 3 that withdrew) aren't determination anymore due to the fact that they similar it arsenic a non-Power Five event. We took those 3 to help. It's OK. It's truly really amended for america due to the fact that they're not determination this twelvemonth for that peculiar event."

Sport Tours International runs the South Point tourney arsenic good arsenic 2 others successful Las Vegas, and it has overseen events successful the metropolis for 14 years.

Seymour said the 3 Power Five teams discovered they would beryllium playing astatine South Point alternatively than The Mirage and decided to withdraw.

"Destination Basketball had the contracts with Purdue, Texas A&M and Dayton," Seymour said. "We did not. ... We were amazed they claimed they didn't know."