Maryland Women’s Basketball vs Rutgers
Early in the second half of this contest, Rutgers hit a shot to cut a once 18-point Maryland lead to a mere five points. The Scarlet Knights had all the momentum and looked primed to take the lead.
Maryland responded, going on a 10-0 run to regain a commanding lead. The run was fueled by a renewed focus defensively and some timely buckets from Abby Meyers, Diamond Miller, and Shyanne Sellers. Those three have been the leaders of this Terrapin squad and always seem to step up when Maryland needs a bucket.
“We’ve played in so many close games that we understand that it’s a game of runs, and the experience of the veteran-led roster that we have, they don’t even flinch. I love that about our mentality that we just dial back in a little stronger, and we understand how talented we are. It’s about both ends of the floor making stops and being able to take the best shot on offense,” Coach Brenda Frese said.
Maryland didn’t look back from there and won 78-67 in a game that wasn’t as close as the scoreline suggests.
A major key to the Terps’ success was forcing turnovers. They swarmed the Scarlet Knight’s offense and forced 22 turnovers leading to 23 points. Rutgers had only 13 assists.
Maryland limited the mistakes themselves offensively, only turning the ball over 10 times, leading to just eight points off turnovers for Rutgers. The Terps also spread the ball around again with their passing, finishing with 22 assists.
“We’ve shown the last two games, when we’re sharing the basketball and not turning it over, great things are in store for us. There’s going to be times when we’re going to be outrebounded on the glass, so we’ve got to be able to make up for that in other areas between our assist-to-turnover ratio, getting to the free throw line, and other controllable that we know we can be very successful in,” Frese said.
Rutgers shot the ball decently well, especially in the second quarter. They shot 47% from the field compared to 41% for the Terps. Maryland did shoot the ball well from three-point range, going 8 of 20 from deep.
The Scarlet Knights did have a slight 39 to 33 advantage in the rebounding battle but that didn’t have a major impact on the game.
Meyers led the way for the Terps with a team-high 22 points to go with four rebounds, five assists, and two steals. She continued her hot shooting, drilling four three-pointers.
“I kind of prepare the same for every game, and no matter the result if I’m on or off shooting, I try to just focus on consistency and being consistent with my effort, my energy, and my leadership. I’m glad it was falling today. Glad I could help the team out, and hopefully, it stays that way,” Meyers said.
Miller scored 15 points with her family in attendance at a homecoming for the New Jersey native. She struggled early on but found her shot later on in the game going 6 of 15 from the field. She dominated the game defensively and on the glass with seven rebounds, four steals, and two blocks.
Lavender Briggs scored 10 points and eight rebounds in her second solid game in a row and Sellers added 12 points in another good performance.
On the other side,, freshman Kaylene Smikle kept the Scarlet Knights afloat with a game-high 29 points along with nine rebounds.
Chyna Cornwell was a force down low with 13 rebounds and two blocks.
Meyers got things started out early with two quick threes to force an early Rutgers timeout.
The Terps parlayed this into a strong start. They led 24-9 after one quarter.
The Maryland defense hounded the Scarlet Knight’s ball handlers early on, forcing 10 turnovers in the first quarter.
Rutgers fought back a little in the second quarter as more of their shots began to fall. They outscored Maryland 24-16 in the quarter and cut the lead to 40-33 at the half.
A key part of the Scarlet Knights getting back in the game was limiting the turnovers. They only turned the ball over twice in the second quarter.
Rutgers shot the ball efficiently in the first half, which was important since they attempted 15 fewer shots than the Terps. The Scarlet Knights shot 59% from the field, while Maryland shot 43% in the half.
Maryland went on a 10-0 run early on in the second half to regain control of the game. They held Rutgers to 31 percent shooting and forced six turnovers in the third quarter.
The Terps absolutely dominated the third, outscoring Rutgers 27-11. Maryland took a commanding 67-44 lead in the fourth.
Rutgers held their own and continued to fight in the fourth, but the lead was too large for them to overcome. They finished the game out on a 12-0 run to make the scoreline respectable but ultimately fell to the Terps 78-67.
Maryland continues Big Ten play on Saturday with a game at home against Michigan State.
