Maryland women’s basketball uses dominant second quarter to cruise past Rutgers, 81-62

Maryland women’s basketball had to battle against Rutgers two weeks in New Brunswick. The Terps’ 18-point lead had dropped to just three in the final two minutes before they pulled out a win.

The rematch wasn’t so hard for Maryland — the Terps led by more than twenty at the half after completely stalling the Scarlet Knights offense. Maryland held onto its lead in the second half this time around, securing a 81-62 victory over Rutgers at Xfinity Center on Wednesday. 

Maryland (16-10, 8-7 Big Ten) built a commanding 23-point lead over Rutgers (8-21, 2-14 Big Ten) by the end of the first half, but Lavender Briggs marked the most important moment in the half for the Terps. 

The fifth-year forward suffered a knee injury in the second quarter and did not return to the game. Briggs had missed five games earlier in the season with a lower leg injury. 

“It is draining seeing a teammate go through that,” Bri McDaniel said. “We decided to come together and play for her.”

Briggs entered Wednesday’s game averaging nine points and 5.1 rebounds a game in 28 minutes per game. 

The Terps previously lost Emma Chardon and Riley Nelson earlier in the season with torn ACLs. The loss of Briggs would severely hamper Maryland’s depth — the Terps had been playing mostly an eight-player rotation throughout the season. 

Maryland pushed the tempo in the first quarter, recording eight of its 21 points in the fast pace. Brinae Alexander padded the Terps’ early lead and knocked down two of her four three pointers in the frame. The forward was one of six Terps who got on the scoresheet in the first quarter. 

Maryland’s defense was dominant in the second quarter. The unit stifled Rutgers in the period, holding the Scarlet Knights to just an 8.3 percent field goal conversion rate. They made only one of their 12 field goals in the frame, scoring a total of four points in the quarter.

“We were really connected. We mixed up zone and man. We were aggressive,” coach Brenda Frese said.

The Terps’ backed the defensive performance with seven-point quarters from both McDaniel and Shyanne Sellers. Sellers added two steals and a block in the frame. 

Sellers closed the game as Maryland’s leading scorer with 21 points. The junior was an all-around threat, dishing 8 assists alongside 10 rebounds.  

The win didn’t come without Rutgers attempting to give another scare in the second half — the Scarlet Knights turned what was once an insurmountable lead to just a 12-point deficit early in the fourth quarter. 

Rutgers reversed the second quarter struggles with a 27-point third quarter. Maryland couldn’t keep up in the frame, scoring just 17.

“We defended better and rebounded better and then we were able to go out in transition,” Rutgers coach Coquese Washington said.

But the drought didn’t last long. The Terps rebuilt their lead in the fourth quarter to as much as 19 and coasted to a victory. 

Allie Kubek notched nine points in the second half, including five straight to open the half, to replace Briggs’ missed scoring. Kubek could play a pivotal role in the rotation if the forward misses an extended amount of time. 

Hawa Doumbouya also checked in for the final two minutes of the first half. The 6-foot-7 freshman could also see more time with the injury, but hasn’t had much experience to this point. 

Maryland next travels to Columbus for a matchup against No. 2 Ohio State on Sunday. The Buckeyes are one of two remaining ranked opponents for the Terps this season.