No. 18 Maryland women’s basketball defeats No. 11 Duke 85-80 for third straight win

Photo courtesy of Ashley Ray/Maryland Terrapins

No. 18 Maryland women’s basketball had its first test of the season Sunday, taking on No. 11 Duke (2-1) at home; the first matchup between the former ACC rivals since 2015 in the Sweet Sixteen.  

Maryland (3-0) never trailed in the game, winning 85-80 in its first ranked match of the season.  

A strong start from the Terps was crucial for them, giving them a comfortable lead they wouldn’t surrender for the rest of the game.

Senior guard Shyanne Sellers scored the first four points of the game to put the Terps up 4-0, followed by two free throws from junior guard Kaylene Smikle to extend the lead to 6-0.

Smikle continued to pour it on with a transition three, putting Maryland up 9-0. 

“I thought we came out with a really strong start with that 9-0 run”, said head coach Brenda Frese. “I thought we saw the confidence and [fearlessness].”

Duke answered with a 7-2 run as they implemented a full-court press to stop the Terps. After forcing another Maryland turnover with the press, Sellers set her feet to take a charge to prevent an easy layup. 

Maryland extended the lead back to 10, but a smooth post spin from Duke freshman forward Toby Fournier ended the first quarter scoring, with the score 21-13 Maryland. 

Sellers opened up the second quarter with five points for the Terps, but Duke matched with a three and a layup of its own. 

The Blue Devils knocked in another three to get within four, but red-shirt junior Saylor Poffenbarger answered right back with her first three for Maryland. 

Maryland continued its perfect 4-4 three-point shooting as Kylene Smikle made her second of the game, forcing a Duke timeout with 4:40 to play in the second.

“I thought we did a tremendous job stepping up and knocking [down threes]. Those are big plays”, Frese said.

The Terps continued to take advantage of Duke’s three-minute plus scoring drought, going on a 6-0 run to extend the lead back to 11. 

The Blue Devils ended the final 1:30 on a 4-0 run on another forced turnover from its press, and a short jumper to cut the deficit to just seven – 40-33 at the half. 

Duke continued its run in the second half, opening up with a three. Maryland bounced right back with a great post-entry pass to Christina Dalce from team assist leader Sellers for the layup, followed by a Sarah Te-Biasu three. 

Pace picked up in the third as the transition game was working for both teams. Both teams traded fast-break layups, with Maryland leading by ten – 57-47. 

Maryland’s strong play in the third quarter continued as they got to the basket with ease. Poffenbarger started with a tough finish, followed by four points from Bri McDaniel on a drive, then a perfect read on a Blue Devils pass.

Maryland took its largest lead of the night into the fourth quarter, up 65-52. 

Sellers opened the quarter with a fast-break layup, followed by a great pass from McDaniel to Poffenbarger to put the Terps up 15.

After a 4-0 Duke scoring run cutting the lead down to 11, Maryland head coach Brenda Frese called timeout. 

The Blue Devils came out of the timeout strong, making another three to cut the deficit to just eight points – 69-61. 

After the teams traded baskets, McDaniel ignited the crowd with a layup plus the foul, putting Maryland up 11.

Duke continued to hang around, but Te-Biasu broke down her defender to get to the basket, putting the game out of reach with a minute left to play.

Maryland’s bench play was crucial throughout with some early foul trouble for Christina Dalce.

“It’s really encouraging, and that’s what we’ve been able to build”, said Frese. “I think we can go further into our bench as time goes on.”