No. 8 Maryland women’s basketball cruises past Penn State, 87-66

Abby Meyers faced up her defender and knew exactly what she had to do as the shot clock ticked down to three, nearly matched up with the second quarter clock as the game closed in on halftime.

Meyers took one look at the basketball as she hoisted the shot before the defender had a chance to act. The ball hit the bottom of the net, putting the cherry on top of a dominant first half from the Terps.

These were just three of Meyers’ 16 first half points as she led them to a commanding 41-18 lead heading into the locker room. Meyers finished with 24 points on 11-19 shooting in one of her best performances of the season.

It was the fiery start to the first half that guided No. 8 Maryland women’s basketball to a comfortable win over Penn State, 87-66.

“I think this team has really taken to heart that they want to punch first,” coach Brenda Frese said. “They have consistently impacted the game here early, the last I don’t know how many games.”

Maryland set the tone of the game early, running and gunning in transition after early Penn State turnovers that led to a 6-0 run. Just over two minutes into the game, the Terps led 6-2. 

This forced a Penn State timeout that was followed immediately by a turnover straight off the in-bound, as the Nittany Lions all of a sudden struggled to get the ball moving.

That wouldn’t last for long, as Penn State’s own pressure and tempo seemed to ease it back into the game, killing the Terps’ early momentum for a couple minutes.

But Maryland stormed back, looking to get a controlling grip early on. 

After a Penn State jumper brought the Nittany Lions back within two, the Terps proceeded to smother Penn State’s offense while tearing apart its defense on their way to a 20-2 run going all the way to the end of the quarter. The run was highlighted by a Diamond Miller reverse spin to perfection off the top corner of the backboard. 

This dominant play from Maryland was led by star senior guards Miller and Meyers, who combined for 19 of the Terps’ first quarter points.

“Diamond Miller I think is one of the top five players in the country,” Penn State coach Carolyn Kieger said. “She’s one of my favorites to watch, one of my least favorites to play against.”

Maryland scored at will in transition off of the eight turnovers it forced in the quarter, with 12 points off the Nittany Lions’ errors.

Early in the second quarter this dominance was overshadowed by an injury to Miller that saw her exit to the locker room immediately after being taken out. But Miller popped right back into the game after about two minutes of gametime that saw no scoring for either side, seeming to get up and down the court with little to no trouble as the Terps cruised.

Frese said after the game there is no reason for concern and that Miller is fine.

This dry streak lasted the entirety of the first five minutes of the second quarter, a stretch that saw only seven points scored by either team with Maryland up 31-14. Each teams’ defense allowed much less open looks than in the beginning of the game as they adjusted to one another and the slowing tempo of the game.

The stretch ceased after the timeout as Maryland regained some of its offensive flow. The Terps headed into the half on a 10-4 run, leading 41-18. 

It was a rare occurrence whenever the Terps missed in the first half, during which they shot 61% from the field and 40% from the three. 

To begin the second half, Miller picked up her third foul early, sending her to the bench while the rest of the team hoped to fill the gap she left behind. That was not much of a problem on the offensive end, as the Terps’ offense continued to score with much of their bench in, but it did prove troublesome on defense.

Despite Miller’s return at the end of the quarter, her presence seemed unable to staunch the offensive momentum the Nittany Lions picked up during her absence. Penn State scored 31 points in the quarter, 13 points more than its total of 18 in the first half. 

Maryland couldn’t seem to find an answer for senior Taniyah Thompson throughout the quarter, who shot 4-4 with 10 points. Thompson had quietly been the most outstanding player on the Nittany Lions up to that point, shooting efficiently on her way to 13 points in the game. 

Maryland began the fourth quarter up 66-49, and quickly went on an 8-2 run to regain its 20-point lead that allowed it to cruise through the remainder of the game.

This led to Frese removing most of her starters to round out the game, wanting to gain some experience for her freshman who don’t see the court often.

Freshman guard Bri McDaniel continued to assert herself as the most valuable member of the freshman class in this contest, playing meaningful minutes for the Terps throughout the full game. The freshman standout scored eight points, knocking down both of her attempts from behind the arc.

Down the stretch, freshman guard/forward Mila Reynolds knocked down a couple of tough buckets around the rim, lighting up the entire Terps bench as the time ticked down towards yet another Terps win.

The Terps will now set their focus on a marquee matchup at No. 6 Iowa on Thursday, who is currently riding a six-game win streak.

“The sky’s the limit,” sophomore guard Shyanne Sellers said. “I think we’re trending in the right direction. I don’t think our best basketball has come yet.”