By: Chris Gharagozlo
The Maryland women’s basketball team took on their first road trip of the season, heading to the nation’s capital to face George Washington. The Terps started off their season on fire, winning in dominant fashion over Coppin State and Dayton. The Terps looked to continue their hot start against Colonials.
The Terps won a dominating performance by the score of 69-30 Wednesday at the Charles E. Smith Center. They were led by senior Brianna Fraser, who had 16 points, and freshman Taylor Mikesell, who scored 13 points to reach double-digit scoring for the third straight game to begin her collegiate career.
To start the game, both teams came out sluggish. The game was tied at 8-8 until Maryland went on a run to pull away. Fraser, the forward from Brooklyn, New York, had 8 points in the first quarter. Fraser was the only Terp who seemed to be hitting shots as Maryland was 1/7 on 3-pointers, and 47 percent overall shooting. The 3-point shot was a big part of Maryland’s first two wins as they averaged just over 10 makes per game. Maryland led George Washington 18-8 after the first quarter.
Maryland came out of the gates running to start the second quarter, going on a 7-0 run. Defense was the key for Maryland. They forced seven turnovers, and had four blocks. They were repeatedly suffocating the Colonials’ offense..
Stephanie Jones and Fraser led the defensive attack by either getting blocks or contesting to force difficult shots. Fraser was not only a defense force, but she continued her offensive dominance by finishing the first half with 14 points on a perfect 6/6 shooting from the field. Maryland finished with a commanding 40-15 lead going into halftime.
The second half started off a lot like the beginning of the first half. Both teams came out slow, and were struggling to hit shots. Five minutes into the second half, Maryland only scored four points while George Washington had yet to score any.
The Terps picked up the pace midway through the third quarter with a 10-0 run. Jones and Kailia Charles dominated the rebounding category, propelling Maryland’s fast break and opportunities for easy scores. Going into the fourth quarter, Maryland maintained its large margin with a 33-point lead.
Maryland’s defense continued to stymie George Washington. Through the fourth quarter, they forced George Washington to shoot 14 percent from the field. They were suffocating George Washington’s offense, and did not allow them to get anything going offensively throughout the entire game.
Maryland is now riding high on a three game winning streak, and they look to carry this momentum into Sunday’s matchup in a hostile road environment against No. 10 South Carolina.
