By: Nolan DeMott

On Saturday afternoon, the Maryland Terrapins (16-1), in their fifth Big 10 game this season, took on the Iowa Hawkeyes (11-6). Coming into this matchup, the Terps had won four in a row and were seeking to maintain their top three ranking with undefeated Mississippi at their heels. Despite the winning streak, though, the Terps were barely able to sneak past unranked Penn State by six points at home and needed a stronger performance if they were to exit victorious today.

And early on, the Terps were on fire, going 12-19 from the field in the quarter. In fact, after Iowa scored first, the Terps responded with a 15-0 run and eventually went on to lead 27-16 by the end of the quarter. A major reason for the Terps first quarter success was Kristen Confroy, who nailed two three pointers while also recording four assists and one rebound.  At that point, it looked like it was going to be a fairly easy night for the Terrapins.

But in the second, the Terrapins shooting fell flat, going nearly five minutes without a field goal to allow the Hawkeyes to acquire their first lead of the game. Maryland finished the quarter barely shooting 30% and trailed 47-43 at the half.

Luckily for Maryland, the game took a drastic turn in the third quarter when the Terps exploded for 28 points on 9-17 shooting, opening up a double digit lead entering the fourth. From that point, the Terps were able to cruise toward their fifth straight victory by a final of 98-82. Brionna Jones led the team in scoring with 25 points, as the Terps now stand at 17-1 and will most likely remain the number three ranked team in the country. Next up for Maryland is a home game this Thursday against Michigan.