Preview: No. 14 Maryland women’s basketball prepares for Fort Myers Tip-Off against DePaul, Towson and Pittsburgh

By: Sam Jane and Bode Ramsey

No. 14 Maryland women’s basketball (4-1) heads to Florida this weekend to take on DePaul (2-2), Towson (3-0) and Pittsburgh (4-0) in the Fort Myers Tip-Off.

The Terps defeated then-No. 17 Baylor their last time out, a 73-68 victory on the road. Senior guard Diamond Miller starred for the Terps, as she scored a career-high 32 points and chipped in 10 rebounds.

Miller’s 21 points per game average is the fourth-most in the Big Ten. Miller is joined in double figures on the Terps by senior guard Abby Meyers (15.6) and sophomore guard Shyanne Sellers (11).

Maryland will take on DePaul in its first game of the tournament.

DePaul, led by Doug Bruno, is one of the premier programs in the Big East. The Blue Demons have made the NCAA Tournament in 18 of the last 19 years. 

The Blue Demons have an electric offense, as they rank No. 10 in the nation in points per game (89).

Forward Aneesha Morrow is DePaul’s leader on offense, as the dominant sophomore leads the nation in scoring (31.5 points per game). Morrow scored 35 in DePaul’s most recent outing, a 98-83 victory over Miami.

Morrow also rebounds at a high clip, as she grabs nearly 11 boards a game. 

Morrow is not the only weapon on the Blue Demons’ roster, as her sidekick is junior Darrione Rogers. The guard averages 21.8 points per game, the only other Blue Demon in double figures.

DePaul’s defense is its weakness, as the Blue Demons allow 76 points per game.

The game against DePaul on Friday will start at 11 a.m..

Maryland is set to take on Towson in its second game of the tournament.

The Tigers enter undefeated, and have won each game this season by double-digits.

Kylie Kornegay-Lucas projects to be a tough challenge for the Maryland defense, as she leads the Tigers in points per game (20.7), rebounds per game (8.0) and assists per game (5.0). After being awarded CAA Sixth Player of the Year a season ago, the redshirt junior guard has taken the leap to be the star of the show for the Tigers. 

The only other Tiger that averages double-digit points is senior guard/forward Anissa Rivera (11.3).  

Coach Laura Harper, a former Terp, is at the helm for the Tigers in her first season at Towson. Diane Richardson left Towson following a 24-8 season a year ago to take an opening at Temple.

The game against Towson on Saturday will start at 11:30 a.m.

Maryland will take on Pittsburgh in its final game of the tournament.

The Panthers, who also enter the tournament undefeated, project as a difficult opponent for the Terps.

The Panthers have had a very strong defensive start to the year, ranking No. 11 in scoring defense (46.2 points per game) and No. 10 in opponent field goal percentage (30.2%), as the Panthers consistently force opposing teams into bad shot selections.

Miller, after recently being named the Big Ten Player of the Week, and Meyers will need to perform at a high level in order to drive the Terps’ offense against the stout Pittsburgh defense.

As for offense, the Panthers have no particular threat. Instead, the Panthers average double figures in points.

Junior forward Liatu King leads with 12.8 points and 10.8 rebounds per game so far.Senior guard Dayshanette Harris averages 10.3 points per game, and has shot the three at a solid 38.5% clip to begin the year. Sophomore forward Maliyah Johnson, who averages 10 points per game, has shot the three at an impressive 47.1% clip.

Coach Lance White looks to continue this season’s success after entering this season with a 32-79 record.

The game against Pittsburgh on Sunday will start at 11:30 a.m.