INAUGURAL SCRIPPS SPORTS WOMEN’S BASKETBALL SHOWCASE HEADED TO MORTGAGE MATCHUP CENTER ON DECEMBER 16

INAUGURAL SCRIPPS SPORTS WOMEN'S BASKETBALL SHOWCASE HEADED TO MORTGAGE MATCHUP CENTER ON DECEMBER 16

-Defending Champion UCLA Bruins and USC Star JuJu Watkins to Headline Elite Women's College Doubleheader -

PHOENIX (August 14, 2026) - Position Sports and The E.W. Scripps Company (NASDAQ: SSP) are partnering to present the inaugural Scripps Sports Women's Basketball Showcase, a new premier women's college basketball event debuting on Wednesday, December 16, at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix.

The inaugural showcase will bring two marquee matchups to the Valley, with defending national champion UCLA facing Duke and USC taking on Miami in a nationally televised doubleheader on ION, Scripps' national sports and entertainment network available over-the-air, across pay television, connected TV platforms and streaming services, reaching more than 128 million households nationally.

Tickets to the doubleheader will go on sale, Thursday, August 20, at 10:00 AM AZ (1:00 PM ET) at ticketmaster.com. One ticket provides admission to both games.

"We are thrilled and proud to partner with Position Sports to create the Scripps Sports Women's Basketball Showcase," said Brian Lawlor, President of Scripps Sports. "This groundbreaking doubleheader represents everything Scripps Sports and ION stands for - creating meaningful connections through sports while elevating women's athletics on a national stage. UCLA, Duke, USC, and Miami represent some of the finest programs in women's college basketball, and we're honored to provide a national television platform for these incredible student-athletes in what promises to be two captivating and inspiring basketball contests."

UCLA vs. Duke | 5:00 PM AZ (7:00 PM ET)
The Bruins enter as the defending national champion and an expected preseason Top 15 program, bolstered by the addition of Addy Brown, a transfer from Iowa State who averaged more than 13 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists per game over her three-year career with the Cyclones. Duke, a projected preseason Top 5 team, welcomes back three of its five starters from last year's ACC Championship squad, while adding transfer Aaliyah Crump from Texas. The No. 5 recruit in the 2025 class, Crump will play alongside Emilee Skinner, the No. 4 recruit in that same class.

USC vs. Miami | 7:30 PM AZ (9:30 PM ET)
The Trojans return JuJu Watkins, the 2024-25 consensus National Player of the Year, who missed all of last season recovering from a knee injury, and bring in the nation's No. 1 recruiting class, headlined by five-star signee Saniyah Hall. Hall marks the third time in four years USC has landed the No. 1 overall recruit, following Watkins in 2023 and Jazzy Davidson in 2025. Miami counters with four veteran transfers added to a team that won 18 games a season ago, including Jess-Mine Zodia, who arrives in Coral Gables with a decorated international resume after representing France in multiple FIBA competitions throughout her career.

"Partnering with Scripps Sports allows us to put four of the nation's top programs on a national stage for Valley fans," said Melissa Meacham-Grossman, President of Position Sports. "This doubleheader builds on Mortgage Matchup Center's momentum as a destination for premier women's college basketball, following the venue's recent hosting of the NCAA Women's Final Four."

Media credential information will be shared at a later date.

The Scripps Sports Women's Basketball Showcase adds to Scripps' growing portfolio of women's sports rights, including the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), NWSL (National Women's Soccer League), PWHL (Professional Women's Hockey League), the 2027 FIVB Women's Volleyball World Cup and Premier Women's Rodeo (PWR).

For more Scripps Sports Women's Basketball Showcase information and updates, please visit mortgagematchupcenter.com or follow @iongameday and @scripps_sports on all social platforms.

The Bruins hold a 3-2 edge in the series that dates back to the inaugural matchup in 1997. UCLA won the most recent meeting at the NCAA Elite Eight in Sacramento in March, 70-58.

Quotes from Head Coaches:
We are so looking forward to being at the Mortgage Matchup Center for the Scripps Sports Women's Basketball Showcase this year. There's no better place to build championship habits, and we're thrilled to be a part of it. Duke will provide a late preseason test that will show us exactly where we rank against some of the toughest competition in the nation. Coach Lawson always prepares her program at an elite level, so we can't wait to be back in Phoenix for a big challenge ahead.
Cori Close | UCLA

We are thrilled to travel to Phoenix to face UCLA in the Scripps Sports Women's Basketball Showcase event. It is an exciting opportunity to be able to take on an elite opponent in the Bruins so early in the season. This matchup provides us with a game in December that will have a March feel and will certainly prepare us for ACC play, while allowing us to showcase our team on a national stage.
Kara Lawson | Duke

The programs will meet for the first time.

Quotes from Head Coaches:
We are excited to take part in the Scripps Sports Women's Basketball Showcase event, which brings a high-level double-header to Phoenix. Facing Miami in an NBA/WNBA state-of-the-art arena allows us another opportunity to put our program on a tremendous platform. We hope that USC fans will join us in Phoenix on December 16!
Lindsay Gottlieb | USC

We are thrilled to be part of the Scripps Sports Women's Basketball Showcase and to have the opportunity to compete against a premier program like USC. Events like this provide a great opportunity to showcase the continued growth of women's basketball while giving our team the chance to compete against elite competition early in the season. We're excited for the challenge and look forward to representing the University of Miami on a national stage this December.
Tricia Cullop | Miami

About Position Sports
Position Sports, established in 2005, is a premium event production and brand marketing firm that specializes in event operations, activation development, media relations, and digital engagement. Over the years, Position Sports has worked with many of the world's leading brands, including Nike, Jordan Brand, Red Bull, the Basketball Hall of Fame, ESPN Events, USA Basketball, Upper Deck, MLB, and T-Mobile in nearly every major U.S. city and on a global scale. Position Sports provides clients with the expanded strategic direction needed to succeed in the sports marketing arena, also known as Positioning. To learn more, visit positionsports.com or follow @positionsports on X and Instagram.

About Scripps Sports
Scripps Sports serves professional and college sports leagues, conferences and teams with local market depth and national broadcast reach. Scripps Sports currently has partnerships with the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL), Major League Volleyball (MLV), Pro Cheer League (PCL), ATHLOS track-and-field, the National Hockey League's (NHL) 2020 and 2021 Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning, 2024 and 2025 Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, 2023 Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights, the Utah Mammoth, the Nashville Predators, the Detroit Pistons of the NBA, the Las Vegas Aces of the WNBA, Denver Summit FC of the NWSL and the NCAA's Big Sky Conference. Scripps Sports is owned by The E.W. Scripps Company (NASDAQ: SSP).

About ION
A leading general entertainment and sports network, ION's lineup features major cable and broadcast shows, original series, live sports and special event programming. ION is part of The E.W. Scripps Company (NASDAQ: SSP), a diversified media company focused on creating connection. As one of the nation's largest local TV broadcasters, Scripps serves communities with quality, objective local journalism and operates a portfolio of about 60 stations in 40 markets.

Media Contacts
Patrick O'Connell, Position Sports // [email protected]
Jeff Motley, Position Sports // [email protected]
Jim Weiss, E.W. Scripps Company // [email protected]