After 12 days since the Terps last played in their dominating 101-59 win over James Madison, No. 14 Maryland (5-1, 1-0 B1G) will travel to Bryce Jordan Center tomorrow for a conference battle against Penn State (3-2, 0-1 B1G). 

So far this season, the Terps have only faced one Big Ten opponent, beating Rutgers in a competitive affair 91-87 on Dec. 14. 

The Terps are one of six teams currently ranked in the most recent AP Top 25 Poll along with No. 15 Northwestern, No. 16 Michigan, No. 17 Ohio State, No. 20 Indiana, and No. 25 Michigan State.  

Penn State is currently on an eight-game losing streak against the Terps and 2-8 in their last 10 matchups against Maryland. 

The Terps are coming off of a dominating performance in last year’s 106-69 victory against the Nittany Lions. 

Maryland is off to an impressive start this season outscoring its opponents by an average margin of 18.7 points led by graduate transfer guard Katie Benzan. She is shooting 55% from behind the arc and averaging 17 points on the season.

Over the course of the season, head coach Brenda Frese has emphasized to her players to play with an unselfish mentality on both ends of the floor.   

Maryland has five other players that are averaging double figures this season including: the guard tandem of Diamond Miller and Ashley Owusu, as well as the forward trio of Angel Reese, Chloe Bibby and Mimi Collins. 

This year’s sophomore class of Miller, Owusu and forward Faith Masonius combined for 37 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds in Maryland’s 2019 win over Penn State. 

Although the Terps have a commanding presence on the offensive side of the ball, their defense tends to be overlooked. 

During the 2020-21 campaign, the Terps are only allowing their opponents to shoot 41% from the field and are out rebounding the opposition 270-225.

In the Dec. 19 win over James Madison, the Terps forced 15 turnovers, seven steals and after the first quarter, Maryland out scored the Dukes 85-40.

Thursday’s game against Penn State is an important game for the Terps to continue their momentum as Maryland then faces off against No. 20 Indiana on Jan. 4 and No. 25 Michigan State on Jan. 7.

Tip-off is scheduled for noon and the game will air on the Big Ten Network.