Preview: No. 7 Maryland women’s basketball gears up to face Mount St. Mary’s

Photo coutresy of Rose Fernandes/ Maryland Athletics

After moving up three spots in the recent AP Poll, No. 7 Maryland women’s basketball (8-0) awaits one more low-major opponent before Big Ten play picks up. The Terps hope to keep their perfect season alive as they face Mount St. Mary’s (0-5) on Tuesday.

Maryland continued its hot start with two victories over the weekend in the Navy Classic. The Terps overcame a one-point deficit in the fourth quarter against George Mason, winning 66-56. Twenty-four hours later, a dominant second quarter pushed Maryland to a 92-70 win over Toledo.

Saylor Poffenbarger led the charge for the Terps, recording consecutive double-doubles off the bench. On Saturday, she notched a team and season-high 19 points, shooting 7-12 from the field.

“[Saylor’s] an impactful player, someone that we need to have on the floor,” head coach Brenda Frese said. “Late game she’s always in there. She just connects everyone together.”

Kaylene Smikle — who entered the tournament riding a five-game run of 20+ points — saw that streak snapped on Friday. But when Maryland needed production late in Friday’s contest, she delivered, tallying 11 of her 16 points in the fourth quarter.

Last season’s leading scorer, Shyanne Sellers, has taken a back-seat approach on offense. Instead, she has showcased her ball distribution, averaging 6.1 assists per game. Despite this, Sellers remains the team’s second-highest scorer, putting up 11.6 points per game.

Allie Kubek is the last double-digit producer on the team, notching 10 points a game off of 57% shooting.

But where Maryland has thrived this season is its bench production. Against Toledo, the bench contributed a season-high 41 points.

While Poffenbarger has mainly carried the load offensively, Bri McDaniel and Mir McLean have given Frese strong minutes. McLean collected 10 boards against Toledo and tallied eight points against George Mason. McDaniel averages 8.6 points a game.

“We need [Bri] on the court,” Frese said. “We need her defense, need her all-around play. She makes a lot of things happen for us. She’s a huge spark plug.”

The Terps’ attack has been a juggernaut, scoring 84.5 points per game, the 21st-highest rank in the country. Efficiency has been the key, shooting 50.9% from the field and 38.6% from behind the arc, fifth and 21st-best in the nation respectively.

“We’re a very good offensive team, especially when we’re unselfish and sharing the basketball, making easy plays for one another,” Frese said. “We know we have the scorers on this team.”

On the glass, Maryland has been elite. It has outrebounded its opponents by 15.6, the fourth-biggest gap in the country. Led by 8.5 boards a game from Christina Dalce and Poffenbarger, the Terps are the 15th-best rebounding team, averaging 44.6 per game.

Maryland’s lone weaknesses thus far have been free-throw shooting and turnovers. 

Despite shooting 71.6% from the line on the season, the Terps only made 54% of their free throws over the weekend. Maryland also turns the ball over 16.4 times a game.

Mount St. Mary’s, on the other hand, enters Tuesday’s contest as one of the worst offensive teams in the country. The Mountaineers have yet to score 60+ points this season and are ranked 347 out of 353 Division I schools. 

On Nov. 26, Mount St. Mary’s lost 87-51 to George Mason, a squad that the Terps beat by 10 points. 

The Mountaineers have three double-digit scorers, and then a big drop-off. Freshman guard Gabrielle Kennerly leads the charge, averaging 12.2 points per game, despite redshirting last season due to injury.

Close behind is a pair of experienced guards, Anna LeMaster and Jo Raflo. 

LeMaster, a transfer from American, is playing in her sixth year and has adjusted well to her new team. She puts up 12 points a game on 35.7% shooting from behind the arc.

As last season’s second-highest scorer, Raflo has continued to play well for Mount St. Mary’s. In her senior campaign, she is averaging 10.5 points through two games. 

They have also struggled on the glass, starting one player over 6-feet, effectively using a small-ball lineup. Maryland will look to use its size and rebounding prowess to create extra possessions and limit Mount St. Mary’s to just one shot per possession. 

Tuesday’s contest will mark the Terps’ third game in four days, something Frese feels will help prepare the players for later this season.

“This is what we’re going to see in conference play, in the Big Ten tournament,” Frese said. “Nice to be able to see that we had a little bit more depth to be able to work with.”

Maryland will be back at the Xfinity Center on Tuesday. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. and will be aired on Big Ten Plus.