Maryland led coming out of halftime in this game when Purdue Fort Wayne scored five straight points to cut into the lead. Coach Brenda Frese quickly called a timeout to allow her team to reset.
“She was telling us that we knew they weren’t going to go away in the second half so we had to shut them out and still play Maryland basketball and not relax. It was an earful,” Shyanne Sellers said.
After that timeout, the Terps blitzed the Mastodons, going on a 23-3 run to take a commanding lead.
The Terps never looked back and won 88-51.
Maryland was extremely effective getting out and running on the fast break. They scored 27 fast-break points while only allowing two points on the break from the Mastodons.
“Our transition game, that’s who we are. We’ve spent a lot of time in the break, and it showed, and again with our unselfishness, I think that bodes well for how we’re playing on the offensive end,” Frese said.
“We’re just playing our game. We like to play a fast-paced game and get down in transition so I think we just followed our game plan and did what we had to do on the offensive side,” Diamond Miller said.
The Terps once again shot the ball well from three-point range. They continued their hot shooting from the UConn game, going 9 of 16 from deep in this contest.
Maryland spread the ball around, with everyone who played today getting on the scoring sheet. They recorded 20 assists and had a 2-1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
“I thought we were very unselfish, sharing the basketball with one another, being able to play both ends of the floor, and rounding out our last non-conference game as we get ready to go into conference play,” Frese said.
Sellers, who faced off against her sister in this matchup, led the way with another strong performance in a run of games, securing her starting spot. She led the team with 18 points and added six rebounds, three assists, and two blocks.
“I love where Shy is trending. She’s doing it on both ends of the floor and playing really really hard. Last year we could count on her defense, and this year, we absolutely need her offense. Her versatility allows us to play her in so many positions,” Frese said.
Miller was in form today, scoring 17 points. She stuffed the stat sheet recording six rebounds, four assists, four blocks, and two steals.
Abby Meyers appeared in control on the offensive end. She went an efficient 6 of 10 for 14 points.
The Terps once again wreaked havoc on the defensive end recording 13 steals and 10 blocks.
Faith Masonius saw a light workload in this game as Frese attempted to rest her for Big Ten play. However, in limited minutes Masonius led the team with 4 steals.
“She just does so many of those unsung hero things, keeps our defense together, and so many intangible plays on both ends of the floor that don’t show up on a stat sheet,” Frese said.
Maryland had the advantage on the boards as they out-rebounded Purdue Fort Wayne 44 to 36. Brinae Alexander led UMD with eight rebounds.
The Terps opened the game on a 9-2 run before Purdue Fort Wayne settled in and evened the score out at 9-9.
Maryland extended their lead to seven and ended the first quarter leading 20-13.
Maryland opened up a comfortable lead in the second quarter behind a 10-0 run.
They outscored the Mastodons by nine points in the second quarter and took a commanding 39-23 lead into halftime.
The Terps got out on the run effectively. They scored 15 fast break points while allowing none from Purdue Fort Wayne in the first half.
Maryland shot the ball from long-range well. The Terps were 5 of 8 from deep in the first half.
The Mastodons didn’t go down without a fight. Amellia Bromenschenkel did everything she could to keep her team in the game, leading all scorers with 25 points on the afternoon. She also added 10 rebounds.
Purdue Fort Wayne opened the second half with five quick points, causing Maryland to call a timeout and regroup.
The Terrapins collected themselves and then asserted their dominance once again by going on a 23-3 run following the timeout. They effectively put the game away with their terrific third-quarter performance.
Maryland maintained its comfortable lead in the fourth quarter and claimed the victory.
The Terps will look to keep the momentum going after Christmas when they face off against Minnesota on December 30.
