No. 5-seed Maryland women’s basketball entered Friday’s matchup against No. 12-seed Murray State fresh off a disappointing Big Ten Tournament exit.
A demoralizing fourth-quarter blown lead left the Terps in unfamiliar territory: traveling to Chapel Hill, N.C., for the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
But for a Maryland team that has found success away from College Park — it is 9-5 across road and neutral site games — the Terps were unfazed. Behind its stout defense and dominant effort on the glass, Maryland cruised to a 99-67 victory over Murray State at Carmichael Arena.
In a win-or-go-home environment, the Terps hoped to play their own game, crash the boards and control their chaos. They did just that.
“Clearly, we had a lot more size than them, I think it all begins there,” head coach Brenda Frese said. “But it also just comes down to a will, and a want, and a desire. I think you saw that with our possessions on the glass.”
Maryland set up its full-court press from the jump, and it paid off. It forced 13 turnovers and produced eight steals. That aggressiveness gave it an early lead they never relinquished.
Not only were the Terps strong on defense, but their ability to attack the basket and secure offensive rebounds led the team to score 51 points by halftime.
“We shoot very very well. We also rebound very well. So it makes our shooters more confident,” McLean said.
Kyndal Walker had 20 points — 14 of which came from the first half. Mir McLean stepped up in her start. She tallied a season-high of 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting and 14 rebounds. Nine of those came on the offensive glass, leading to 33 second-chance points for Maryland.
“I thought Mir [McLean] set the tone for us early,” Frese said. “She was ready to play aggressively, all over the glass. That’s a senior who doesn’t want to be finished.”
Addi Mack was also strong offensively, tallying 18 points off 6-for-13 shooting. She drained a pair of three-point efforts to aid the Terps’ scoring output, where they shot 50 percent from the field.
“Our freshman, Kendal [Walker] and Addie [Mack], just how fearless they were [in] the first half scoring 26 points,” Frese said. “And overall 38 in the game for your first NCAA tournament. I thought they met the moment.”
Despite the loss, Halli Poock — who averages 22.4 points per game for Murray State — was a star offensively. She scored 27 points, but needed 24 shots to do so.
Murray State came into the game with three different players averaging over 17 points per game. And all season, the Terps struggled to contain an opposing star-scorer. The Racers’ top scores averaged 70 points per game this season, and scored all 67 on Friday. But with its bench held scoreless, it was never an issue for the Terps.
The Racers entered Friday with a 31-3 record, 19-1 in the Missouri Valley Conference, and a 15-game winning streak, having had only one loss since Nov. 18.
The Racers blew out Evansville in the MVC championship, 90-71, to clinch an NCAA tournament berth for the second straight season. But in consecutive appearances, Murray State crashed out in the first round.
While Maryland never trailed, it couldn’t put away a relentless Murray State squad. The Terps’ 23-point third-quarter lead was trimmed to 14 points entering the fourth quarter, thanks in part to Keslyn Secrist’s three-point play in the final second.
But after McLean converted an and-one layup early in the final period, Maryland poured it on. The Terps embarked on a 19-2 run to effectively seal the game.
Brenda Frese is 22-1 in the first round of the NCAA tournament. After winning her 22nd, she and the rest of the Maryland women’s squad will focus on the outcome of No. 4 North Carolina and No. 13 Western Illinois to determine who they will play in the round of 32.
