Maryland’s first-ranked win of the season comes against old rival
Sunday Afternoon, with a sea of a red rush with former alum/athletes, turned out to witness an ACC throwback rivalry renewed as the No. 18 Maryland Lady Terps welcomed the No.11 Duke Blue Devils to the Xfinity Center, defeating the Blue Devils 85-80.
The Keys to Victory!
Maryland set the tone defensively (Rebounding) in the first half.
From tipoff, the Terps set the tone defensively. For 40 minutes, the “Brenda Special” [Full Court Press] effectively threw the Blue Devils out of sorts, forcing sixteen turnovers. In the first quarter alone, the Terps had 16 rebounds. One of the keys was defeating Duke defensively, and there were times when the press was broken, but the Maryland Defense held firm.
Duke looked out of sorts.
The Blue Devils are a good team, there is a reason why they were in the sweet sixteen. However, something needs to be said about a ranked opponent. Yes, they lost to good teams, but Duke, as a high-ranked opponent, doesn’t play well against lower-ranked opponents. In this game, Duke had multiple opportunities to win the game today. “We scored 80 points that should win a game,” said head coach Kara Lawson after the game. But it was a sloppy 80 points. Outside of forcing Maryland to commit 20 turnovers, the stats do not reflect how they played inconsistently. Not finishing at the basket and missing free throws are killers in a basketball game. “Can we stay a team hungry for growth?” Coach Lawson explained it postgame.
It is the third game of the Season. But the Terps are getting stronger.
While some expect the Terps to have it all together after the three games? One word: Delusional
This game saw Kaylene Smikle another 20-point game, and Bri McDaniel had a game of 15 rebounds and had that Dawg energy on both sides of the ball. Shyanne Sellers had seventeen points, seven rebounds, and five assists. Christina Dalce had a Double-Double of 12 points and 14 rebounds. “We’ve brought into the process,” Shy Sellers said when asked about the game offensively. The Terps never trailed the entire game and did not look back.
Maryland needs to clean up some things as the season progresses. The Terps committed 20 turnovers, some of which were unforced errors and miscues, such as miscommunication when passing the ball and even inbounding the ball against the press. The Terps and Coach Frese took accountability for the turnovers and know they can get better with that as the season progresses. Frese mentioned that she still learns different play styles when inbounding the ball.
In the first three games as a unit, everyone played a complete game. When someone struggled, someone stepped in. With ten new players, it is still early in the season. The adaptability piece will click soon, and we must give it time. This Terp team is going to be special.
The Rivalry brought back memories.
The Xfinity Center not only saw an old-school throwback classic but also many Maryland Alumni players and coaches who impacted the team. The aura of what these legends brought, especially against a team like Duke, brought back so many memories in Sunday’s game. It will be a new memory for the newer fans, but words can’t be described for those who have been around, especially in the Xfinity.
The Lady Terps are on the road Wednesday evening as they take a trip to take on the Syracuse Orange women’s basketball. The game will be at 7:00 PM on ACCN/ESPN.
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