COLLEGE PARK, MD — Maryland women’s basketball forward Allie Kubek — a once Towson Tiger — entered Sunday’s game against her former team just 10 points shy of 1,000 on her career. She got halfway to that mark midway through the opening quarter after rolling in two layups, the first of which was an and-one.
The graduate student inched even closer with another pair of layups before Shyanne Sellers set up Kubek’s milestone moment in the fourth quarter. Thinking quickly, Sellers found Kubek under the basket while Towson’s defense was still getting set on an inbounds play. The forward finished at the rim for her 10th and 11th points of the afternoon.
Kubek’s double-digit scoring performance was one of six for the Terps on Sunday. Maryland came up just shy of the century mark, as it cruised to a 98-63 victory over Towson at the XFINITY Center.
“It was kind of fitting to see that her 1,000th point came today against her former team, but Allie is a tremendous scorer for us,” coach Brenda Frese said. “[She’s] especially hard to guard when she’s getting those plays inside, as well as when she’s back to shooting the ball consistently from the three-point line.”
The point total was Maryland’s (5-0) highest of the season in a game that featured an abundance of baskets from the jump.
Three-point shooting had been a modest piece of the Terps’ offense through the year’s first four games. They relied on the long ball early in Sunday’s contest.
Maryland scored 15 of its 33 first-quarter points from behind the arc. That collection of triples came from four different scorers, who combined to go five-for-seven from deep.
“I think our ball movement was really good,” redshirt junior Saylor Poffenbarger said. “I think just being unselfish and seeing that next pass has really been helpful, and helped us in the first quarter.”
Towson (0-4) somewhat kept pace by scoring with solid efficiency itself.
A balanced offensive approach saw five Tigers record first-quarter points. Absent from that list was Towson’s second-leading scorer India Johnston. But the junior caught fire in the ensuing period.
Johnston scored from every level, draining two shots from behind the arc, one from mid-range, and a final from under the basket. She even added a pair of free throws as part of her 12-point quarter.
The junior later finished with a game-high 22 points but her effective offensive afternoon held little significance, as the Tigers struggled mightily to get stops.
VCU transfer Sarah Te-Biasu drained a pair of threes for Maryland’s first six points of the quarter. Kaylene Smikle, Shyanne Sellers, and Christina Dalce took over from there. The trio accounted for the Terps’ next 13 points, giving them a 54-40 at the break.
Smikle’s 12 points ultimately led the way for Maryland through the opening 20 minutes. The Terps shot just below 60 percent from the field in what ended up being their highest-scoring half of the season so far.
Maryland continued pushing the pace after the break, while Towson’s offense gradually slowed. The difference came down low.
Maryland — with a considerable height advantage — out-rebounded Towson 25-8 over the final 20 minutes. The Terps also scored 26 of their second-half points in the paint, which was 20 more than the Tigers managed over that period.
The early three-point shooting barrage also carried over to the second half. Maryland drilled a season-high 11 triples, a mark that also matched last year’s single-game best.
Smikle tacked on the final three-ball early in the fourth quarter, before adding a pair of two-point baskets. It was the junior’s fourth consecutive 20-plus point game, as she continued her blistering start to the campaign.
“Consistency is something I take pride on,” Smikle said. “Even if I’m not scoring well there’s always something else I can do.”
Each Maryland starter finished in double figures, while Poffenbarger added 12 points behind four triples off of the bench. All but one of the 11 Terps who played scored as well.
“Those have been our championship teams,” Frese said. “The national championship team [in 2006] had five players average in double figures. We have seven right now that are all averaging over seven points and that’s going to go up with the chemistry that’s being built.”
The undefeated Terps now get a full week off. They host Saint Francis (PA) at 1 p.m. next Sunday. Alexa Wootten and Ben Geffner will be on the call for WMUC Sports.
