No. 14 Maryland women’s basketball defeats Towson in Fort Myers Tip-Off, 81-70

The whistle blew as Gia Cooke went up with the layup, the ball rattling into the basket to mark a huge and-one that extended the Terps’ lead to double-digits midway through the fourth quarter. 

Maryland was forced to play without its top offensive performer, Diamond Miller, for most of the quarter after she picked up her fourth foul. Miller’s absence opened the opportunity for the Terps’ bench to put in minutes, and Cooke took advantage as she performed well in the final quarter.

No. 14 Maryland women’s basketball led from start-to-finish against Towson, defeating the Tigers 81-70.

The game was a clash between former Maryland star, and current Towson coach Laura Harper, and her then-coach Brenda Frese. Harper was a crucial piece of the Terps’ 2006 National Championship run.

“It’s always a special time when you get to go up against one of your former players,” Frese said.

Both sides entered today’s game looking to bounce back following losses in their opening game of the Fort Myers Tip-Off. The Terps suffered a 76-67 defeat at the hands of DePaul, while Towson lost 72-62 to Pittsburgh. Each team struggled to find their shot throughout their Friday game, particularly at the three-point line.

Senior guard Lavender Briggs was removed from Maryland’s starting lineup in favor of sophomore guard Shyanne Sellers. Briggs struggled to begin the season, as she didn’t score in double figures in any of Maryland’s first six games.

“The starting lineup … isn’t set in stone and I’m not sure moving forward that it will continue to be this way,” Frese said. “I thought Shy did a phenomenal job … she brought the motor and she does every time.”

Both offenses started this one much better in terms of shooting, as both sides shot over 40% from the field in the first quarter. Maryland led 20-18 after a high-pace, back-and-forth quarter.

Maryland’s press defense forced seven turnovers in the first quarter alone, but struggled to stop graduate student Skye Williams. The guard finished the quarter with 12 points and went a perfect 4-4 from the floor.

Miller found her groove throughout the half after getting subbed just three minutes in. The senior guard finished the half tied for a team-high 10 points on 4-6 shooting. Coach Brenda Frese similarly subbed Miller early in the win over then-No. 17 Baylor, which resulted in Miller’s career-high in points (32).

It was Miller’s play that propelled the Terps on a 6-0 run to begin the second quarter, ballooning their lead to eight. The Tigers stormed back with an 11-2 run of their own to take the lead, 29-28. 

Towson couldn’t miss from behind the arc to begin the game, starting 4-5 from three.

By halftime, Towson’s turnover troubles only got worse with another six turnovers in the second quarter, but the Tigers stayed in the game due to their hot shooting. 

Both offenses shot well from deep in the first half, as both sides started 4-7 from beyond the arc.

Maryland finished the half on a 7-0 run, forcing three Towson turnovers during the stretch. 

At halftime, Maryland led 39-34.

The up and down pace of the game continued to start the third quarter, as both teams looked to push up the court and continued to shoot well. Miller and senior guard/forward Faith Masonius continued to facilitate the offense for the Terps, helping them finish the quarter on yet another 6-0 run to hold a healthy 57-49 lead heading into the fourth. 

After being out-rebounded by four in the first half, Maryland fixed many of its rebounding issues in the third quarter, as the Terps out-rebounded the Tigers 13-6 in the quarter.

Miller had to be subbed out early in the fourth quarter after picking up her fourth foul. During the Terps’ loss to DePaul, Miller played only 26 minutes as she dealt with foul trouble in that one as well, which hurt Maryland down the stretch. 

Despite Miller’s absence on the court, Maryland continued its offensive success in the fourth, stretching its lead to 15 at the six minute mark. The Terps shot 58% in the final quarter, as Cooke stepped up and scored all six of her points in the quarter.

“She just had a great floor-general type of game,” Frese said. “She was all over the place on both ends of the floor, defensively as well as just her command on the offensive end.”

After the run, Maryland slowed the game down and played conservative the rest of the way, coasting to its fifth win of the season in an important bounce-back win after losing to DePaul the day before.

Miller finished with 20 points on 8-12 shooting and grabbed seven rebounds, and Masonius scored 14 points of her own on 6-10 shooting.

Masonius has had a couple big performances for the Terps this year after tearing her ACL a season ago. This game was no different, as her contributions served as a major difference in the game.

“[Faith] does the things that nobody wants to do, and she does them consistently,” Miller said. “The fact that she bounced back the way that she has, I’m just so happy and proud for her.”

The Terps will look to continue their success on Sunday against Pittsburgh.

“[Pittsburgh’s] a really good team as well,” Frese said. “We’ve got to start being able to separate, and being able to come out ready to play in the first half.”