The Terps (7-1, 3-0 B1G) earned their sixth consecutive win Monday, while handing the No. 19 Indiana Hoosiers (5-3, 3-1 B1G) their first conference loss with a decisive 84-80 win.
The Terps are now 11-0 all-time against the Hoosiers and 49-4 with a .925 win percentage vs. Big Ten opponents at the Xfinity Center.
“I thought this was a terrific game,” head coach Brenda Frese said. “It looked like a high-level Big Ten game. Really proud of how we jumped out to start the game. You could tell we were fired up from the tip and made a statement.”
The Terps came out aggressive with a 10-0 run led by guard Katie Benzan who opened the game with two consecutive threes, blitzing the Hoosiers at the start.
Maryland’s defense limited the Hoosiers to just 23% from the field in the first quarter, but the Hoosiers responded in the second quarter.
“I think you saw in the second quarter when Indiana responded, I thought they really hurt us on the glass and did a terrific job going into halftime punishing us on the glass,” Frese said.
This push was led by guard Grace Berger and forward Mackenzie Holmes. Berger finished with 26 points, which led all scorers and she tacked on three rebounds and seven assists. Meanwhile, Holmes tallied a double-double for the Hoosiers and finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds.
However, sophomore guards Diamond Miller and Ashley Owusu were too much fire power for the No. 13 ranked defense in the country.
Miller and Owusu each finished with 20 points leading the Terps to their 60th win at the Xfinity Center in five seasons. Miller added six rebounds and two assists, while Owusu finished with five rebounds and five assists.
Not to mention, forward Chloe Bibby added 15 points, while Benzan contributed with 12 points of her own headlined by four key free throws to seal Maryland’s victory in the fourth quarter.
This is a statement win for Maryland against a ranked and conference opponent that carries a Top 15 defense in the nation.
Although the Terps coughed up 13 turnovers, were out rebounded 16-7 on defense and were out-scored 46-32 in the paint they still managed to execute in times when it mattered in an important Big Ten matchup.
The Terps picked up their 20th straight victory in Big Ten play, dating back to Jan. 12 of last year. Since joining the Big Ten Conference, the Terps are 111-14 with a .889 win percentage, according to Maryland athletics.
Maryland’s next test comes against No. 23 Michigan State (8-0, 3-0 B1G) Thursday in East Lansing, Michigan.
The Spartans have the No. 31 offense in the country, but have a defense that does not crack the Top 50. Look for the Terps and their No. 2 scoring offense in the nation to expose a vulnerable Michigan State defense.
Tip-off is at 5:00 p.m. on the Big Ten Network.
