Maryland women’s basketball races to early lead; outclasses Towson in 88-70 win

Photo courtesy of Grayson Belanger/Maryland Terrapins

In No. 9 Maryland women’s basketball’s last game, the Terps started slow. 

Against Georgetown, Maryland struggled to score in the opening half, shooting 10-31 from the field and 1-12 from three. The Terps went into halftime trailing before rallying in the final 20 minutes for a comfortable victory. 

There was no slow start on Thursday night. Maryland (4-0) put up 51 points in the first two quarters – their highest first-half total of the season – and cruised to a 88-70 victory over Towson (2-2). 

Four games into her collegiate career, Addi Mack has settled in. The true freshman followed up her 23-point explosion against the Hoyas with another strong showing, pouring in 15 points and shooting over 50 percent from the field. Mack also added six assists and three rebounds

Maryland dominated the glass. The Terps brought in 52 rebounds compared to Towson’s 24, with 21 coming on the offensive end. Maryland’s success on the boards translated to point paints – the Terps picked up 44 of those compared to the Tigers’ 40. Oluchi Okananwa was the leading rebounder for the Terps, finishing with eight boards.

There was an evident difference in physicality on both ends. Maryland was able to get to the line at a much higher clip than the Tigers – the Terps shot 20 free throws to Towson’s nine. They also committed more fouls – 18 to 15. 

Senior guard Kaylene Smikle made her season debut against the Tigers. Smikle was Maryland’s leading scorer last season, with averages of 17.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game. The former All-Big Ten First-Team member quickly found her groove, finishing with 13 points, two threes, five rebounds, and two assists. 

Maryland’s depth played a big factor. The Terps got 50 points from their bench – Towson had zero. Five Maryland players finished with double digit points, and 13 different Terps scored. Mack, Smikle, and freshman Breanna Williams all put up 10 or more off of Maryland’s bench. 

Turnovers were an issue for Maryland. The Terps finished the game with 22 – four more than the Tigers’ 18. However, Maryland was able to capitalize off opposing turnovers more than Towson – they picked up six more points despite having four more turnovers. 

Towson was the Terps’ last game of their in-state non-conference portion of the schedule. Maryland will be back in action on Nov. 16, hosting Princeton.