Kaylene Smikle continues dominance as Maryland rolls past Syracuse, 84-73

Photo courtesy of University of Maryland Athletics

No. 11 Maryland women’s basketball found itself down 24-14 against Syracuse two minutes into the second quarter, its largest deficit of the season. But a lob pass down the court from guard Shyanne Sellers found the hands of forward Allie Kubek for two transition points.

Just minutes later, the Terps found themselves ahead, 29-24, at the hands of a 15-0 run. And Maryland (4-0) never looked back, extending its lead to 11 into the break, en route to an 84-73 victory of Syracuse (1-2) Wednesday night at the Carrier Dome.

After trailing for just 18 seconds through its first three games combined, including an 85-80 win over then-No. 11 Duke, the Terps found themselves down for most of the first half. But once Maryland got its offense going, the Orange had no response.

Senior guard Georgia Woolley got going early in the contest, scoring the first eight points for Syracuse. Guards Kaylene Smikle and Sarah Te-Biasu kept Maryland close, with four and three points, respectively. 

Guard Bri McDaniel cut the Terps’ deficit down to one, with her first of nine points in the opening half. But then Syracuse’s offense got hot. It got back-to-back four straight second-chance points. Then, a 3-point jumper from sophomore guard Sophie Burrows put Maryland in an eight-point hole, 17-9.

A 3-point jumper from McDaniel was followed with a layup from Sellers, moving the Terps within three points. Syracuse’s 10th second-chance point of the first quarter – a 3-point jumper from Burrows – put the score at 20-14. The Orange shot 4-6 from behind the arc in the first quarter, a mark that proved unsustainable. 

“We knew rebounding was going to be a huge piece to this game,” head coach Brenda Frese said. “I thought Syracuse was really motivated from the last game. They came out hot shooting the ball and put us on our heels in that first quarter.”

Syracuse carried this momentum into the second quarter, extending its lead to 10 after back-to-back layups. But then Maryland put together eight minutes of complete basketball. The Terps put together a 28-7 run into halftime, as it led 42-31.  

After a 3-point jumper from Sellers, McDaniels added four points off the bench. Maryland found success in the second quarter getting out in transition and forcing turnovers. The Terps had six points off turnovers and were raining in shots from behind the arc. Guard Saylor Poffenbarger, Kubek and Smikle each knocked one down.

“Being ready when your number is called, taking advantage of the moment and trying to get the lead back,” McDaniel said. “We leaned on each other. That’s what we need to do late in the game. This is preparing us for later in the season.”

This time, Maryland had all the momentum heading into the second half. The forwards dominated early in the third quarter, as Kubek and Christina Dalce had the Terps’ first six points. McDaniel extended Maryland’s lead to 13, 50-37, after a layup. 

“[McDaniels] gave us a phenomenal spark off the bench,” Frese said. “I really think we have seven starters on this team, between [Bri] and [Saylor].”

Smikle continued her dominant stretch finishing with 20+ points for a third game in a row. The junior guard got going in the third with a pair of free throws. But Syracuse stormed right back with a 6-0 run, after two turnovers from the Terps. Another 3-pointer from Te-Biasu and free throw from Dalce restored Maryland’s 10-point lead.

The Terps led 61-52 heading into the fourth quarter. 

Maryland looked to put Syracuse away early in the quarter. Instead, the Orange hung around, cutting the Terps’ lead down to six just two minutes into the final period. Anytime the Terps had an opportunity to put the game out of reach, Syracuse had an answer.

With four minutes left in the contest, Wooley put the Orange within four after her 17th point of the game. Smikle, who has gone 7-9 from behind the arc over the past two games, stayed hot, knocking down another to put Maryland in front by eight.

Sellers and Poffenbarger knocked down three free throws late in the contest, putting the game away and keeping the Terps’ perfect season alive.

Maryland had a balanced scoring effort with four players in double-figures. Kubek – who put up 23 points in last season’s meeting between these two squads – had a season-high 16 points in the game. 

“I thought [Kubek] was really aggressive, finishing plays and making layups,” Frese said. “Defensively, she gave us a lot with the size that they had inside and drew three fouls with four offensive rebounds.” 

Maryland returns to action Sunday in the XFINITY Center against Towson at 11 a.m.