Maryland women’s basketball extended its winning streak this season to ten games after a dominating 92-44 win against Mount St. Mary’s
The Terps look to carry their momentum this Sunday when they face their first Big Ten opponent, Minnesota.
Here are three takeaways from Maryland’s first win back home in College Park.
Team chemistry
Back door cuts, skip passes, the Terps always seemed to be able to find the open player for an easy basket, as Maryland out-assisted Mount St. Mary’s tonight 25-to-4.
“I love the fact [of] how we shared the basketball. Season high 25 assists on 36 baskets, and just the unselfishness all the way around,” Maryland head coach Brenda Frese said.
The Terps remained aggressive, both with and without the basketball. After noticeable team chemistry struggles early in the season, everyone seemed to be on the same page for the majority of the night.
Not only on the offensive side, but the team’s ability to defend at such a high level forced 22 Mountaineer turnovers, which led to another 31 of their 92 total points.
No Easy Buckets
The Maryland defense seems to be a takeaway for every one of their games so far this season. This one was no different from the rest.
Every time Mount St. Mary’s went to shoot the ball, there was a Terp right there to defend it. The team forced the Mountaineers to shoot just 30 percent from the field and 21 percent from three, allowing only 44 total points on the night.
The Mount never saw a quarter in which they made more than five shots.
Even as the Terps really dove into their bench tonight – 11 players saw at least 11 minutes in the game — the defense never wavered.
Not only on-ball aggression, but also attacking the glass after shots, led to the Terps’ success. Maryland grabbed 30 defensive rebounds, which continues to be a focal point for Frese.
“I thought at times it was really good when we were locked in and aggressively playing the way we know how to play,” Frese said. “When we would be on the same page, we were able to force them into turnovers, different shots and [poor] field goal percentage.”
Oluchi Okananwa continues to be a standout for the Maryland offense
For the first three quarters of this game, Oluchi Okananwa shone as the team’s leading scorer.
She shot an efficient 7-of-9 from the field and scored 17 points in only 14 minutes.
Okananwa has been a reliable scorer for the Terp offense all season. She has averaged 13.3 points per game while shooting an efficient 53% from the field. She topped both of those averages on Tuesday.
Heading into Big 10 play, Okananwa is going to be an important asset to the Terps’ successes as the season goes on.
“I’m learning, we’re learning how to push and fight through adversity. Going through a game with highs and lows and just being able to stay constant,” Oluchi Okananwa said. “I think that’s what these games really teach us. And I mean, I’m really excited to take what we’ve learned, especially from today, and bring that over with us to conference.”
