No. 19 Maryland women’s basketball caps off homestand with 70-52 victory over Davidson

Coach Brenda Freese looked down on the ground, shaking her head in frustration, as Maryland committed its tenth turnover of the first quarter. The Terps finished with 21 turnovers, as the issue continued to limit the offense.

Despite the sloppiness of the first quarter, No. 19 Maryland had no trouble putting away Davidson, as the Terps dominated the second half to defeat the Wildcats, 70-52.

The highlight of the game early on was a milestone reached by a new face on the team. Senior guard Abby Meyers stepped to the free throw line in the first quarter, two points away from reaching one thousand in her career.

Meyers went through her normal routine — spinning the ball twice before calmly draining the two free throws to achieve the milestone.

She did not stop there, as the Princeton transfer continued her hot start to the season, finishing with 14 points on the day. Meyers was also efficient, with an 88% true shooting on the day.

“Pretty exciting that she could do it here in Maryland, her own home state,” Frese said glowingly about Meyers.

The Terps shot the ball well in the first quarter, as they connected on 66% of their threes. However, Davidson stayed within four points because of Maryland’s inability to control the ball.

Maryland finished the first quarter with 11 turnovers. Every Terp who touched the floor besides sophomore guard Shayanne Sellers committed a turnover.

“We’re trying to play fast, maybe sometimes a little bit faster than we need to,” Frese said.

However, Davidson struggled to capitalize, as Maryland never trailed in the first half. The Wildcats put up 16 threes in the half, but only could convert on three of them, despite many open looks.

In the second quarter, Maryland seemed committed to taking care of the ball, but the three-point shooting dragged down the offense. Meyers continued to provide the only real constant threat from outside, as the Terps went 2-8 from beyond the arc in the second quarter. 

Going into halftime, senior guard/forward Faith Masonius said the message was very clear in the locker room.

“Making the easy plays,” Masonius said. “We get so sped up because we are trying to make complicated plays, but basketball is simple and we just have to tone it down.”

The second half had much more rhythm to it, as both Davidson and Maryland came out the break shooting well. The two sides had five consecutive possessions with scores.

Maryland shot 55.6% from the field in the quarter.

Sellers provided a spark off the bench, as her and senior guard/forward Brinae Alexander seemed to be the only two real consistent options off the bench. Sellers and Alexander played 19 and 16 minutes in the first three quarters, respectively. The rest of the bench played only seven combined minutes.

“Those two have really started to be consistent for us,” Frese said.

“We have got to find games where we can separate to give [the freshman] more minutes,” Frese later added.

Maryland stretched its lead out to 54-35 at the end of the quarter, putting the game out of reach.

Senior guard Diamond Miller controlled the fourth quarter, as she notched eight points on perfect shooting. She finished the night with a team-high 19 points.

Miller’s dominance allowed Frese to insert some of the young freshmen into the game. Guards Bri McDaniel, Ava Sciolla and Gigi Cooke all got to play the last portion of the fourth.

“Within college it takes time and it takes a rhythm,” Frese said. “They just have to continue to understand that minutes will come as they can.”

Maryland finished the second half on a high note. The Terps scored 41 points, doing enough in the second half to overcome their first quarter woes.

Maryland will look for its third-straight win next time out, when the Terps travel to Waco to take on No. 17 Baylor on Sunday.