The Terps improve to 4-0 after their most demanding win this season.
No. 11 Maryland women’s basketball survived its first out-of-state road test of the season at Syracuse.
After dominating the end of the first half, the Terps could not put Syracuse to rest throughout the final 20 minutes. But they closed the game out and fought off a late Syracuse push in an 84-73 victory Wednesday night.
“Road wins are precious, and it’s really hard to win on the road especially against a really good team like Syracuse,” head coach Brenda Frese said. “Syracuse was really extra motivated from the last game.”
Kaylene Smikle led the way for Maryland with 20 points, while Allie Kubek racked up 16. For Syracuse, Georgia Woolley scored a team-high 17 points, followed by 16 points from Kyra Wood.
Maryland came out slow in first quarter — its first real struggles of the season. The Orange were dominating in almost every facet, outrebounding the Terps, 11-8, and shooting an impressive 4-of-6 from deep and 50% from the field. Maryland trailed by six after the first 10 minutes.
For the first time this season, the Terps’ lack of length was evident. Syracuse was simply bigger, forcing turnovers, block shots and driving inside.
After floundering at the start of the second quarter — one that saw the Orange build a 10-point lead — the Terps finally woke up. Maryland strung a 15-0 run together over the course of three minutes as Bri McDaniel took charge, scoring four consecutive points, to give the Terps the lead.
“Bri was was a huge spark for us,” Frese said. “[She] made a massive impact from the minute she came into the game.”
The Terps went from the worst they have looked this season to the best in just a matter of minutes. They were scoring at will, as a 21-point swing ensued at the end of the first half.
Maryland entered halftime up by 11 points after completely flipping the script. It was shooting at a high percentage from 3-point range, too, as six different Terps connected from deep.
McDaniel, Smikle and Kubek stood out, but everyone contributed to the turnaround. The Terps cut down on turnovers and forced nine from Syracuse in the first half.
“Especially going on the road, it’s about who wants it more, and we obviously want it more,” Smikle said.
The second half was more of the same for Maryland. Kubek headed the charge, turning in a strong performance against Syracuse for the second straight season; she totaled 23 points in last year’s game.
But that soon shifted, as the Orange started to climb back into things. Smikle turned the ball over on three straight possessions, allowing Syracuse to cut its deficit to six points. The Terps were struggling to keep possession as the Orange forced offensive fouls.
In the third quarter, Maryland turned the ball over eight times, playing undisciplined basketball and allowing Syracuse to hang in the game.
The third quarter was not pretty for either team, but Syracuse stayed in the game. There were miscues up and down the court, and it didn’t seem like the Terps were connected as a unit.
Maryland looked to close it out in the fourth quarter, but it was more of the same. The Terps exclusively drove inside in the second half, as they were holding on to the lead.
It was still a two-possession game with less than two minutes left, but they ultimately held off Syracuse to remain undefeated.
Three things to know
1. Sweeping the ACC. After beating then-No. 11 Duke on Sunday, the Terps took down fellow ACC opponent Syracuse on Wednesday. The Orange tested Maryland in a way that Duke wasn’t able to, as Maryland held a lead all game on Sunday. Still, the Terps came away with two important nonconference victories over former conference foes.
2. Spreading the wealth. The Terps received contributions from a plethora of sources. For the second straight game, four Terps — Smikle, Kubek, McDaniel and Christina Dalce — scored in double figures. Seven players scored at least six points.
“It’s going to be every single night of the seven bringing something different to the table,” Frese said.
3. Sloppy second half. After a dominant end to the first half, the Terps couldn’t pull away from Syracuse in the second. Turnovers were a big issue for Maryland, and Syracuse kept crawling closer as shots weren’t sinking.
“We’re not going to give up, no matter [if] we’re down [or] we’re up. We’re still going to keep punching hard,” Smikle said.