No. 9 Maryland women’s basketball’s strong defense leads the Terps past Rutgers, 80-56

Midway through the first quarter, the Terps were high on momentum, already having forced eight Rutgers turnovers on their way to an early double-digit lead. 

The Maryland press set up yet again as the clock read 5:08 after an Abby Meyers three. Quickly, the Terps shut down attempts by Kai Carter to blow by them, as Elisa Pinzan and Lavender Briggs trapped her before she could think about passing it out.

Carter threw the ball into no man’s land in defeat, as the refs blew their whistle for a 10 second violation, Rutgers’ ninth turnover of the game.

It was that kind of day for Rutgers, who fell to No. 9 Maryland women’s basketball 80-56 in a game that saw it turn the ball over 23 times, 15 the first half.

The Terps, after an up-and-down first couple minutes, seemed to get into rhythm following a Meyers three that saw them jump to an early lead.

Rutgers struggled to make offense out of stops on the other end in addition to Maryland turnovers, instead turning it over many times after hard defensive work. This allowed the Terps to score easy points, coming in the form of layups and free throws in transition.

Maryland’s suffocating defense — alongside the play of the Meyers —  energized a 13-0 Maryland run to start the game, giving the Terps a 15-5 lead at the halfway point of the quarter.

“It’s great to be able to see the tone we set early, forcing 11 turnovers in that first quarter,” coach Brenda Frese said.

Rutgers stopped the bleeding to finish the quarter, using the Terps’ defensive aggression against them on its way to the bonus. The Scarlet Knights made seven of their eight free throws in the quarter, while also breaking Maryland’s double teams which led to multiple open looks on the offensive end.

The Maryland offense started to get it going again to begin the second quarter with the help of a couple offensive rebounds and drives to the rim. Sophomore guard Shyanne Sellers was an animal on both ends of the court, scoring six points to help the Terps go on a 12-0 run, which grew their lead to 37-18.

Frese had the Terps running and gunning in transition thanks to the sloppiness of the Rutgers offense. The Scarlet Knights’ 15 turnovers at the second quarter timeout allowed the Terps an abundance of transition opportunities.

After a second quarter that was more of the same, the Terps entered halftime with a 44-28 lead behind their defensive play and Rutgers’ own mistakes. 

Senior guard Diamond Miller, who had put together a good first half with 11 points and five rebounds, dished out a couple assists to add to her statline in the second quarter while facilitating much of the Terps’ offense. 

Miller also asserted her defensive dominance in the first half, racking up five steals and a block during the first 20 minutes.

“[Diamond] sets the tone up top,” Frese said. “I thought she was terrific.”

After her stellar play the first five minutes of the game, Meyers cooled off in the second quarter. The senior guard finished 1-6 from the field in the quarter with just two points to add to her previous total of ten, forcing others to step up shooting the ball throughout the quarter.

And step up they did, as the Terps’ outside shooting certainly helped them on their way to their large first half lead. The Terps shot 40% from behind the arc, knocking down six of their open looks. Sellers, Pinzan and Brinae Alexander all contributed with threes of their own as the Terps cruised at home. 

Rutgers struggled to begin the third quarter, the third time in a row it had done so. The Scarlet Knights still struggled to find high percentage shots through the suffocating Maryland defense, missing six straight shots early while the Terps grew their lead to 50-30, forcing an early timeout.

Both teams began to struggle on the offensive end, combining for 3-22 during one stretch. After Rutgers chipped the lead to 15, Frese called a timeout. The timeout seemed to work, as Maryland restored its 20 point lead right before forcing yet another 10 second violation to end the quarter, leading 61-41.

“It’s always good when you can find momentum by just your energy plays,” Meyers said. “Forcing them to get a ten second, back court call, or to get those 50/50 balls … it’s really what we need going into a five away game [stretch].”

Alexander hit another three during this five point burst to end the quarter, a basket that caused the senior guard/forward to surpass 1,000 career points.

“I didn’t know if I was exactly one or two points shy [of 1,000],” Alexander said on the shot. “The bench was screaming at me and I was like, well I guess I’ll shoot it.”

To begin the fourth quarter, Maryland looked to slow the tempo of the game as Rutgers finally started a quarter strong, nailing two threes on its first two offensive possessions. With 7:30 left, the lead had already been cut to 14 as the Terps looked for any spark on offense.

The Terps got just that as Alexander continued to add onto her career day, hitting three triples in a row for the Terps, bringing her total to 20 points — her most in a Maryland uniform.

Alexander’s offensive explosion effectively iced the game, as Maryland led by 24 with a minute to go. Alexander received a standing ovation from the crowd as she traveled to the bench late in the game, making way for the freshman to get some playing time. 

Maryland’s three-headed monster — Miller, Meyers, and Sellers — all finished in double figures today as well. Sellers finished with a near triple double with 12 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.

The Terps shared the ball tremendously, putting up 24 assists on their way to the win, a season-high.

“We always try and emphasize moving the ball around, finding the best shot, not forcing bad ones,” Meyers said. 

Maryland will look to make it two wins in a row when it takes on Wisconsin on Thursday.