After a sloppy first half, No. 20 Maryland women’s basketball took care of Penn State 81-62 in the second half, thanks to their ability to get hot from the floor.  

Here are three takeaways from the win. 

A game of runs.

Maryland started the game on an early 8-0 run. Poffenbarger and Garzon made their opening shots of the game, which led to a comfortable cushion early. 

This advantage, however, would diminish as the first quarter went on. After the first break, Penn State was the one to hold onto the lead. 

But after a lot of back and forth from both teams through most of the first half and early second, the Terps went on another 16-2 run offensively. 

These runs for the Terps – especially in front of a home crowd – brought energy at much-needed moments of the game. 

The third-quarter run came from scoring all around the lineup. No one scored consecutive buckets – showing the versatility that this young team brings against a Penn State squad that relies on two players to make the bulk of its shots. 

Finally, in the opening minutes of the final quarter, Maryland went on yet another double-digit run. A 13-3 surge to start the fourth quarter ultimately put this game away, as it was the staple of Maryland’s offense that catches fire as a team. 

“When you see the ball go in, it makes everybody more comfortable and more confident from the court no matter who made the shot,” Maryland’s Yarden Garzon said. “I know my teammates will believe in me.” 

Maryland’s ability to defend Penn State’s star power.

Coming into this matchup, Penn State’s Kiyomi McMiller was averaging 20 points per game – ranked fourth-most in the Big Ten. 

Her teammate Gracie Merkle was also averaging over 19 points per game – shooting the most efficiently in all of women’s college basketball. Merkle shoots 74.6 percent from the field. 

Throughout the early parts of the game, McMiller and Merkle made their presence known. Merkle came into this game questionable to even see the court. But this didn’t stop her from an efficient 4-of-5 start from the field. 

McMiller was no different. Her 30 points kept the Nittany Lions in this game before the Terps started to pull away. 

Maryland has struggled in past matchups against highly talented scorers. When the Terps faced off against Washington, which ended in an 83-80 double-overtime loss, Huskies star Sayvia Sellers dropped 38 points. Frese talked in her post-game press conference about Sellers’ ability to completely dismantle whatever Maryland threw at her. 

Tonight was no different in the way McMiller and Merkle found the bottom of the net, but what was different was the outcome of the game. 

McMiller found herself in foul trouble in the closing quarter of the game. That edge to attack the matchup and force her into difficult decisions helped lead Maryland to its third win in a row. 

The players felt the energy even after the game in the post-game presser, where Maryland’s Addi Mack, Mir McLean and Yarden Garzon walked in wearing yellow hard hats – symbolizing a hard day’s work. 

“We’re very proud of our hard work, and we wanted to show you guys what it looks like,” McLean said.

Maryland dominated the glass.

Maryland ranks ninth in the country and second in the Big Ten in rebounding totals. Their ability to crash the glass on both sides of the floor helps when the Terps struggle from the field. 

Maryland outrebounded Penn State, 46-33. But more importantly, they outlasted the Nittany Lions on the offensive glass – totaling 19 offensive rebounds to Penn State’s nine. 

The Terps started this game 1-for-10 from behind the arc, shooting just 35 percent from the field. 

But despite their shooting struggles, this game remained close because of Maryland’s ability to keep possessions alive. 

Saylor Poffenbarger led the charge, tallying 11 rebounds and a double-double. Isimenme Ozzy-Momodu wasn’t far behind with seven boards despite playing in foul trouble for most of the game. 

Every Terp who played over 10 minutes in the game grabbed a board. 

Frese talked about how much emphasis rebounding was coming into the game. 

“That’s who we are. I thought we were really aggressive – obviously to be able to go out and get 19 offensive rebounds… we needed it,” Frese said. “That’s who we are on both ends of the floor. And I think we’ve had great success when we out-rebound teams and really dominate like we did tonight.”