Maryland women’s basketball’s dominant rebounding leads to season-high scoring in win over Towson

Photo courtesy of Maryland Athletics

In an unusually early start time, No. 11 Maryland women’s basketball (5-0) jumped out to an early lead that it wouldn’t relinquish, coming away with a 98-63 victory over Towson. The Terps came into the contest 9-1 all-time against the Tigers and that remained true.

Here are some takeaways from Sunday’s game.

Double-doubles in pairs

Maryland dominated in all facets of the contest, and that was evident with two players racking up double-doubles.

Guard Shyanne Sellers took more of a backseat approach offensively, going 5-8 from the field, leading to 10 points. But her distribution of the rock was on full display. Sellers had four assists in the opening period and finished with 10, missing her career-high of 11.

“Just attacking. I feel like they played a lot of zone,” Sellers said. “Just being able to penetrate and then kick. I do a good job of drawing people so just passing it back out.”

She picked up her ninth assist with eight minutes left after an outlet pass to Kaylene Smikle led to a transition bucket. Just 43 seconds later, Sellers picked up her ninth double-double of her career at Maryland.

Despite this performance, Sellers always strives for more. Her success as both a player and teammate stems from her determination to be perfect.

“I would have had 11 [assists] if I made a better pass to [Saylor], though,” Sellers said.

The Terps’ rebounds leader this season, forward Christina Dalce, dominated the glass once again. The transfer from Villanova had 10 boards, four of which were offensive. Sunday’s contest marked her third double-double in just five games this season.

Offense explodes for season-high

Maryland’s formula to success stemmed from its stellar defensive play in the first four games of the season. The Terps entered Sunday’s match holding their opponents to just 58 points per game, the lone exception being an 80-point outburst from then-No. 11 Duke.

But against Towson, Maryland was firing on all cylinders right out of the gate. The Terps put up 33 points in the opening period off of 68.4% shooting from the field. Maryland finished the game shooting 60% from the field and 64.7% from behind the arc, its highest since 2021.

“Most [players] who took a shot were shooting over 50%, that’s huge,” Sellers said. “I think the difference between this year and last year is just not as much wear and tear on our bodies. Just being able to go that deep will pay dividends in the long run.”

The Terps had six players in double-figures, including all five starters. Smikle led the charge once again with her fourth consecutive 20+ point outing. Guard Saylor Poffenbarger exploded off the bench with 12 points on 4-7 shooting from beyond the arc, while adding 9 boards.

“That’s the balance we want to have,” Frese said. “We want to get everyone to score, and we were pretty close to that tonight. … Those have been our championship teams.”

Allie Kubek, Sarah Te-Biasu, Kubek and Sellers rounded out the double-digit scorers. The Terps put up a season-high 98 points, their most since the last time they faced Towson.

Crashing the glass

Maryland outrebounded its first four opponents by 52, and against Towson, this trend continued. The Terps dominated both the offensive and defensive glass, creating second-chance opportunities for themselves and limiting the Tigers to just one shot. 

Led by a combined total of 19 from Poffenbarger and Dalce, Maryland outrebounded Towson, 46-18. The Terps had a season-high 32 defensive rebounds while limiting the Tigers to just four offensive boards on their 36 missed shots.

But the offensive glass is where Maryland made its living. The Terps had 14 offensive rebounds, including four apiece from Kubek and Dalce. These extended possessions led to 15 second chance points.

“Dalce, that’s what she does. She’s averaging four offensive rebounds a game so she got her average,” Towson head coach Laura Harper said. 

The Terps finished 84th in the country and 3rd in the Big Ten in rebounds per game last season. But Maryland made some splashy offseason additions to help further its rebounding prowess. The Terps now have 11 players rostered that are 6-foot or taller.

Early in this season, Maryland sits fourth in the Big Ten with 43.8 rebounds per game, a good sign for a team looking to make a deep run.