COLLEGE PARK, MD – With a minute left in the first quarter, the children erupted in screams as Terp guard Abby Meyers, sunk both foul shots, achieving 1,000 points in her basketball career.
No. 19 Maryland women’s basketball toughed out a 70-52 win against Davidson Wednesday morning.
“It’s a huge accomplishment, just within your career, and pretty exciting that she [Meyers] can do it here in Maryland, in her own home state,” head coach Brenda Frese said. “When you look at all the hard work that Abby’s put in, it really talks about the course of her career. It’s a tremendous accomplishment.”
The Terps welcomed over 6,000 local school children for the annual Field Trip Day game. The stands were electric each time a Terp scored, motivating the teams to play with more intensity and vigor. Guard Diamond Miller emphasized the importance of showing the younger girls that hard work pays off in the sports world.
“I think it’s important to be a role model because I was that little girl in the stands, I was playing, and I was watching college basketball, and I was in those girls’ situation,” Miller said. “The fact that the roles are reversed is kind of really cool to watch, and I just hope when they see us they see how passionate we are, strong we are, we’re powerful, and we could do anything we put our minds to.”
Early in the game, Miller cashed a three-pointer off the jump ball, setting the tone for the game. Coming off eight turnovers on Sunday, Miller made a comeback by leading the Terps with 19 points and six assists.
“This is basketball. Sometimes things happen, and you just have to adjust, but I just stay focused and try not to turn over the ball a lot,” Miller said. “You know, what I’m saying is just what happened, and I’m a next-play type of player. So it is what it is. I gotta move on.”
Coming off allowing 17 offensive rebounds to Fordham, the Terps allowed Davidson 13 offensive and 34 total rebounds. The Terps had 21 turnovers but made up for it through their aggressive defense.
Maryland focused on driving the ball, showcasing the team’s intensity under the basket. The Terps had 36 points in the paint and made about 49.1 percent of their shots from the field.
Davidson’s starting lineup was made up of veterans, with five upperclassmen: Suzi-Rose Deegan (0), Chloe Welch (2), Issy Morgan (44), Sallie Schutz (30), and Elle Sutphin (33), making the Wildcats a tough opponent.
Maryland held the Wildcats at a 10-point lead throughout the second half. The Terps came back with 25 points in the third quarter, creating distance between the two teams.
After the first competitive half against an experienced team, Maryland focused on moving the ball and slowing down the game.
“We were really focusing on moving the ball, being able to, you know, get open layups and make those 45-degree cuts and driving kicks,” forward Faith Masonius said. “We get so sped up because we’re trying to do so much and may complicate plays, but the game of basketball is simple, and we just had to tone it down.”
Davidson kept up with the Terps throughout the game due to the Wildcats’ high tenacity and energy with each other.
“I think their heart, their hustle was a little bit more than ours,” Frese said. “We kept losing the box, so we’ve got to get more intentional on the defensive end.”
Maryland will play Baylor Friday, Nov. 20., at 3 p.m.
