The Terps outscored UMBC 42-10 in the second half.
No. 18 Maryland women’s basketball pulled away with an impressive second half to defeat UMBC, 74-32.
The Terps didn’t find their groove in the first half, and it was evident. They looked rusty, allowing UMBC to keep pace. But Maryland came out of the break firing on all cylinders to stomp any chance UMBC had to stay competitive.
“I think you saw it, first game of the season, especially the first half,” Maryland head coach Brenda Frese said. “I thought the second half, a lot more poise and composure.”
The Terps were strong defensively all night, smothering the Retrievers. However, it took full effect in the second half, as UMBC was held to just 10 second half points.
Christina Dalce led the way for Maryland with 13 points, 10 rebounds and two assists, scoring 11 of her points in the second half. Shyanne Sellers followed her up with 12 points, seven rebounds and two assists. Allie Kubek was in double-figures with 11 points, also contributing eight rebounds.
“I got a couple chippy fouls, but I didn’t let that affect me going into the second half.” Dalce said, “With my team encouraging me, my coaches encouraging me, that just made the game a whole lot [of] fun in the second half.”
Jordon Lewis was the focal point of the Retriever offense. Lewis had 10 of UMBC’s 32 points.
Brenda Frese opted for a interesting starting lineup for the season opener, with Allie Kubek and Dalce in the starting five instead of Bri McDaniel and Saylor Poffenbarger, who instead were Maryland’s primary bench pieces.
Maryland’s first bucket of the season came from Sarah Te-Biasu, who inbounded off a UMBC defender to herself for a wide-open layup.
Maryland was very 3-point-heavy in the early going, looking to connect from beyond the arc. Its defense came out strong, swarming everything that came its way. Kaylene Smikle was the anchor of the defensive side of the ball.
Maryland had a slow offensive start, appearing occasionally sloppy and turning the ball over. The offensive unit didn’t look polished as Maryland held a lead, but struggled to gain more ground on the Retrievers.
The Terps got to a bonus in the first quarter but struggled to convert from the line, going 5-for-8. Both teams got in early foul trouble — there seemed to be a whistle on every play.
“We had to work through some kinks, nerves and then foul trouble,” Frese said. “Definitely was officiated really tight.”
The Terps struggled to defend the 3-ball at the start of the second frame as the Retrievers were climbing back with the long ball. While UMBC was thriving from beyond the arc, the Terps couldn’t buy a 3-pointer. Kubek and Poffenbarger took threes, but it wasn’t going down as these struggles helped the Retrievers stay competitive.
Kubek was a force down low, but struggled to hit open looks. She had seven points and six boards despite her struggles, but it felt like she could’ve had more.
Te-Biasu’s impact was evident, as she was able to combine her defensive prowess and speed into transition points. She had eight points in the first half.
Maryland held the lead for the entire first half, heading to the break up 11. The Terps were 1-for-9 from three in the first half and 8-for-11 from the free throw line. Maryland out-rebounded UMBC 25-9 in the first half. Sellers stood out for the Terps, with nine points, six boards and an assist.
The Terps were getting offensive rebounds with ease to start the second half, but struggled to get second chance points.
The Terps were playing to their strength in attempt to pull away in the third, as UMBC wasn’t getting good looks on offense and the Terps were cleaning up the glass. Maryland took full advantage down low, as the Retrievers were simply outmatched in the paint.
Dalce started to heat up in the second half, finding her step on defense and getting in the groove in the paint. She began getting buckets down low, putting her foot firmly on the gas pedal.
The offense looked to finally be clicking in the fourth. The Terps were scoring at will, and effectively ended the contest.
Maryland’s domination was in full force in the second half, as the Terps outscored UMBC 40-10 in the final 20 minutes.
“This is a really selfless group, you could tell … You heard the chants on the bench, they started chanting defense in French, because we have three players that speak French,” Frese said, “You can tell it’s a really connected unit that is really unselfish, playing for each other.”
Three things to know
1. Transfers impact. Te-Biasu, Poffenbarger and Dalce were huge parts of Maryland’s win on Monday night, bringing a strong presence to the lineup. Te-Biasu forced steals and was efficient scoring transition points. Poffenbarger was a huge element in the defensive paint, with seven rebounds and two blocks to go along with seven points. Dalce was a massive part of the second half takeover after a sloppy first half, outscoring UMBC by herself in the second half and grabbing 10 rebounds.
2. 3-point woes. Maryland struggled with the 3-pointer on Monday. The Terps were 1-for-9 in the first half from beyond the arc. Early in the fourth quarter, Poffenbarger finally got a three to go down after Maryland had missed its previous 11.
3. Crashing the glass. The Terps had their way with UMBC on the boards, constantly creating second-chance looks with offensive rebounds and securing the defensive glass. Maryland out-rebounded UMBC 48-18 and had a 17-5 advantage on the offensive boards.
“It’s a big advantage to who we are. It was an area we really addressed out of the portal … that was an area we weren’t as strong in last year.” Frese said, “That’s super encouraging when you have a game like we did tonight with the foul trouble and the 22 turnovers, to be able to make it up in other ways,”