BALTIMORE, MD — Maryland senior Shyanne Sellers floated a pass to Arkansas transfer Saylor Poffenbarger midway through the third quarter against UMBC. Poffenbarger received the pass just outside of the paint before driving toward the baseline. 

The redshirt junior battled through contact before finishing a tough, two-handed layup. Poffenbarger’s close-range finish accounted for Maryland’s first bench points of the night. Her score also sparked a crucial stretch for the Terps. 

No. 18 Maryland finished the third quarter on a 12-3 run, before completely blitzing the Retrievers over the final 15 minutes on Monday night. The Terps more than doubled up UMBC in a 74-32, opening-night victory on the road.

“I think it’s all part of the process and I think that’s what makes the process fun,” senior Christina Dalce said. “We’re just going to continue to build and build, and once we get there, it’s going to be game-changing.”  

A Maryland (1-0) roster with 10 new faces (seven transfers and three freshmen) was unsurprisingly met with ups and downs in the first half.   

The Terps established an early lead thanks to a defense-fueled 7-0 run. It took the Retrievers (0-1) over four minutes to grab their first bucket.  

VCU transfer Sarah Te-Biasu grabbed Maryland’s first two points of the night, before forward Allie Kubek added a wide-open three-pointer from the wing. It was one of just two Maryland triples on the evening. Junior Kaylene Smikle capped the Terps’ run by stealing a dribble and taking the ball up the floor for an uncontested layup.

Maryland’s quick offensive start was soon slowed down as the two squads traded fouls throughout the middle of the first quarter. UMBC shot just three-for-six from the line during the opening period but used its charity-stripe points to shave off some of the deficit. 

The Terps answered with another run — of the 5-0 variety — to end the quarter with an 18-8 lead. But Maryland couldn’t pull away. 

UMBC kept the contest close for much of the second quarter thanks to a trio of triples (two from graduate student Jordan Lewis and the other from guard Yasmin Ott) and a handful of Maryland fouls — both defensive and offensive.  

Late in the second quarter Sellers dribbled up the center of the court with teammates on both sides of her. Forward Talia Davis was the only defender back for the Retrievers, and yet the Terps could convert. 

Davis drew a charge from Sellers right as the senior attempted to dish a pass. The three-on-one opportunity resulted in a turnover.  

Despite the errors, Maryland had increased its first-quarter lead to 11 by halftime. The transfer duo of Te-Biasu and Smikle combined for seven points in the final two and half minutes, giving Maryland the momentum as it led 33-22 at the half. 

Contributions from Smikle and Te-Biasu complimented Sellers’ team-leading nine first-half points.

“We have a lot of depth this year and we can really kill you from anywhere. We’re just so versatile that I think we’re a mismatch nightmare,” Sellers said. “We have a lot of players that can slide to any position. I think our depth is our biggest weapon this year.” 

UMBC remained within striking distance, cutting the deficit to just 10 midway through the third quarter. Then, Maryland took complete control. 

Following Poffenbarger’s third-quarter layup, the Terps went on a 36-6 game-ending run. 

Dalce fueled the second-half route with 11 points in the final two quarters. The Villanova transfer excelled in the paint, as all of her points from the field came off of layups.   

Dalce also finished as the Terps’ leading scorer due to the second-half surge. She added 10 rebounds to grab a double-double in her first game in a Maryland uniform. 

The sizable lead allowed Maryland to empty its bench, and everyone produced. All 11 Terps who played on Monday evening scored.

“This is a really selfless group,” coach Brenda Frese said. “When Ava [McKennie got her [first] bucket they were fired up for her. You heard the chants on the bench — they started chanting ‘defense’ in French because we have three players that speak French … You can tell it’s a really connected unit.”   

The Terps will return to College Park for their home opener on Thursday. They host Coppin State at 6 p.m.