By Joseph Foley
The No.5 Maryland Terrapins extended their current win streak to 15 games as they defeated No.19 Nebraska 59-47 on Sunday. A crowd of over 10,000 packed the Xfinity Center, Maryland’s highest attendance of the year.
The Terps (21-2, 12-0) did not come out of the gate strong however, and had a grand total of thirteen turnovers in the first half. Although Maryland shot 56.5 percent from the field in the half, the Huskers maintained pace with the Terps. Nebraska senior guard Tear’a Laudermill had an impressive first half, in which she put up fourteen points before getting into foul trouble. Nebraska (17-6, 7-5) took a 22-21 lead with three mintues remaining in the half, but that would be the last time the Huskers were on top.
A rejuvenated Maryland team came out ready to play in the second half, and kept a solid cushion for the rest of the game. In what was their lowest scoring output of the season so far, Maryland relied on a strong defensive effort to carry them.
The Terrapins were also led by a strong inside presence from the likes of Brionna Jones and Malina Howard, who contributed 12 points each to go along with nine and seven rebounds respectively. The Terrapins outscored Nebraska 32 to 16 in the paint, while also winning the rebounding margin by six. As Nebraska head coach Connie Yori explained, “They were too big at every position for us.”
Yori also mentioned the absence of the Husker’s first team All-Big Ten point guard Rachel Theriot, who leads the team in points and assists. Theriot missed the game with an ankle injury, and the Huskers playbook got much smaller without her on the floor, as stated by Yori.
On the other hand, Maryland head coach Brenda Frese wasn’t delighted with her team’s slow start, but was pleased to see a much different team on the court during the second half.
“We locked in and played harder,” explained Frese, whose team has yet to lose in Big Ten play.
Maryland will be back in action on Tuesday night, as they take on a Rutgers team that is in the midst of their own six game winning streak. As junior forward Howard explained, “It’s going to be a tough game. We have to come out ready to fight.”
The action from the Xfinity Center can be seen on BTN at 9 p.m.
