PISCATAWAY, N.J. – No. 8 Maryland women’s basketball entered Thursday night’s contest against Rutgers with just seven triples in its prior two games. The Terps boasted just the seventh-best three-point offense in the Big Ten.
In need of its perimeter production to wake up, Maryland made it a point of emphasis to hoist shots from deep early on. It worked.
Yarden Garzon’s three-pointer just 30 seconds into the game was just the catalyst needed. The Terps drained 16 triples in their 88-41 dismantling of Rutgers in Piscataway, New Jersey. The mark was Maryland’s most three-pointers in four seasons.
“We have so many weapons on this team that, you know, it’s great to be able to kind of finally see it all connect together,” head coach Brenda Frese said.
It was not the Terps’ play from behind the arc that fueled it forward though, as they were stifling defensively. They held Rutgers to only 20% shooting for the game and forced 20 turnovers, spurring 28 Maryland points.
Garzon led the Terps offensively, finishing with a team-high 18 points, going a perfect 6-of-6 from three. Garzon also dished out a season-high nine assists.
Rainey Welson had the best game of her career thus far off the bench. Welson entered the night with just two made three-pointers on the season, but finished with four makes on the night en route to a career-high 12 points.
“It felt amazing just to see the ball go in,” Welson said. “My coaches and my teammates have been telling me to keep shooting.”
Despite the Terps finding a ton of success from the perimeter, Isimenme Ozzy-Momodu provided a strong presence in the paint. She finished with a 10-point, 12-rebound double-double, her third of the season and second in a row.
“When you look at the presence we’re starting to have with Izzy and Marya and players inside, that’s allowing us to be able to go inside out,” Frese said.
Maryland started off hot, setting the pace for the entire game. They went 3-for-3 from beyond the arc, finding their rhythm and applied defensive pressure. They played fast and Rutgers could not keep up, forcing an early timeout just two minutes into the game.
Despite slowing down after their hot start, the Terps continued to grow their advantage. Maryland created open shots throughout the second quarter, but struggled to match its early success.
Luckily, the Terps’ defense anchored the team during the rough stretch, as they applied constant pressure. Maryland also got to the line at ease, going on a 9-0 run solely off free throws to end the second quarter up, 44-16.
The Terps continued the same effort in the second half, which is when Garzon fully took over. She splashed four second-half triples and contributed six assists to help push Maryland to a 47-point victory.
The Terps return to the Xfinity Center on Sunday where they will begin their five-game gauntlet against ranked Big Ten teams. That starts with No. 19 Ohio State.
“I feel like we all know the Big Ten is the best conference in the country,” Garzon said. “We know what we have to do to win every game, and just focus on right now, on the next game, and try to be very intentional.”
