COLLEGE PARK, MD — As the clock ticked down toward zero in the second quarter, Maryland point guard Shyanne Sellers patiently dribbled the ball at midcourt, waiting to secure the final shot of the half.

With nine seconds left, Allie Kubek set a pick-and-roll screen, giving Sellers a chance to duck right to the top of the key. Sellers paused, providing time for Kubek to clear out and slip behind Saylor Poffenbarger. Sellers dished a pinpoint pass to a cutting Kubek, who made an uncontested layup to cap Maryland’s 19-4 second-quarter run.

The two tenured Terps had their way on Thursday night, as Maryland continued its undefeated start to the season — and new year — with a dominant, 78-61 victory over Rutgers at the XFINITY Center. 

It was Kaylene Smikle, who transferred to Maryland this past offseason after two years at Rutgers, who got the Terps off to a fast start. 

On Maryland’s first possession, Sarah Te-Biasu slowed the game in transition to draw her defenders. She found an unmarked Smikle, who effortlessly ripped a three-pointer to open scoring for the Terps. 

Smikle didn’t have her cleanest performance, shooting just 33% on the night, but she didn’t pin it on the occasion. 

“I don’t think playing Rutgers changed the way I came into the game or the mindset that I had,” Smikle insisted. “Basketball is basketball.”

Smikle passed the “business-as-usual” attitude along to her teammates, who hit their standards early. Just two minutes after the Smikle three, Sellers was given space on the outside. Her three-pointer took a fortuitous bounce off the rim and fell through the twine. 

On the very next possession, Sellers received the pass before cutting inside. Sellers drew two defenders with the move before dishing the ball to Allie Kubek, who pushed the Maryland lead to three early. 

Sellers took nine first-half shots — one less than her per-game average on the season — to tally 11 points by halftime. She continued putting the Terps on her shell during the second half and finished with 22 points, her highest total of the season. 

“I thought she set the tone from the tip,” head coach Brenda Frese said.  “That’s what you need to be able to have with your senior … it needs to trickle down both on the offensive end and the defensive end.”

That defense made its presence known early. Scarlet Knight freshman Kiyomi McMiller — a Silver Spring, Md. native — entered Thursday night’s contest with a 44% field goal percentage and the second-highest points per game in the Big Ten. But she began her homecoming game cold. 

Locked down for large stretches by Sellers and Bri McDaniel, McMiller went 3-for-9 in the first quarter and finished just 4-for-13 on the evening. 

Rutgers’ offense struggled to find a solution given McMiller’s shooting scuffles. 

The Scarlet Knights essentially let their freshman guard shoot her way back into the game, a method that included an audacious shot from the logo as time expired in the first quarter. Rather surprisingly, that shot fell. 

Rutgers would have hoped to use the miracle shot to build momentum, but things fell apart in the second quarter. 

Allie Kubek drew a foul on Rutgers forward JoJo Lacey early on, forcing the Scarlet Knights to go deep into their bench sooner than they typically do. In the absence of Lacey, who averages eight points and six boards a game, the Scarlet Knights failed to score a point for over six minutes. 

Ten turnovers across the second quarter only made matters worse for the away team, allowing the Terps to stretch the lead to 18 points before the half.

The eventful second period included a host of extracurriculars as well.  

Smikle’s first game against Rutgers since transferring out this past summer was bound to be charged, and sparks flew midway through the second quarter. 

Smikle picked the pocket of ex-teammate Lisa Thompson and was set to fly down the court for an easy layup. Instead, Thompson fouled Smikle by grabbing ahold of her elbow. The Terps’ leading scorer swung her arm back into the hold and hit Thompson in the face, with less-than-friendly words seemingly exchanged after the whistle. 

Both players were given technical fouls, adding to the night’s drama. Further building upon that was a Maryland injury scare midway through the second quarter.

Poffenbarger had opened the game with eight rebounds in 14 minutes, but the redshirt junior seemed to suffer a hand injury while diving for a loose ball. Poffenbarger left the floor in what seemed to be serious pain, but the Arkansas transfer checked back in 90 seconds later. 

The Shyanne Sellers show continued into the second half for Maryland, with eight points and four rebounds. Her point tally was level with Kubek, who had an impressive game in her own right. Kubek finished the day with 17 points on 6-for-9 shooting, all while coming off the bench. 

Rutgers’ early foul trouble persisted into the second half, thwarting any hopes it had of finding a consistent offensive spark. 

Four Rutgers players entered the fourth quarter on four fouls, forcing extended action from a bench which was outscored 35-15 by Marylands. Oddly enough, McMiller also sat for the final 15 minutes, further damaging any hopes for a Rutgers response. 

“I thought the energy that we were able to get off the bench was really important,” Frese noted. “You saw Mir [McLean] and Allie and Bri coming off the bench had a big impact on us.”

As has been customary in Terps games this season, the result was wrapped up with several minutes to go. Frese emptied her bench accordingly down the stretch, an ideal luxury given Maryland’s difficult string of upcoming opponents. 

The Terps play at No. 23 Iowa on Sunday at 6:00 p.m. before returning to the Xfinity Center to host No. 4 USC in a monumental showdown on January 8th. 
Tyler Lochte and Jack Bowman will have the call for WMUC Sports when the Terps take on the Trojans in that potential top-10 clash.