The Terps recorded their highest point total since last year’s contest against Towson.
No. 11 Maryland women’s basketball cruised to a 98-63 victory over Towson on Sunday.
The Terps dominated in numerous facets of play and had their way with the Tigers all day long. In fact, it was Maryland’s highest point total since it last played Towson on December 12, 2023.
Here are three takeaways from Maryland’s victory.
Early start set the tone
The Terps got out to a strong start despite an unusually early start time.
In the first quarter, the Terps jumped out to a 15-point lead and had their highest scoring quarter of the season with 33 points. The 15-point lead was Maryland’s largest first-quarter lead of the season.
“We talked about wanting to come out and set the tone, which I thought we did in that first quarter,” Frese said.
Compared to other games this season, Maryland did a much better job of starting on time on Sunday. Especially against Syracuse and Coppin State, the Terps started out poorly and couldn’t make shots early on in games. The Terps only led by three points against Coppin State and trailed by six points to Syracuse after the first quarter.
“I loved where we were after that first quarter [today],” Frese said.
Maryland’s opening-quarter jolt included 10 assists, nine rebounds, three steals and only saw the Terps turn the ball over once.
Looking for assists
Maryland had 27 assists on Sunday against Towson, which was a team-high for the season and exceeded its previous mark by nine.
Shyanne Sellers had 10 assists against Towson — one shy of her career high of 11 last season against Niagara. Sellers probably could’ve tied her career high on Sunday if not for some small miscues late.
“They were just moving … making the defense work, not taking like the first shot really helped,” Sellers said.
Overall, Maryland’s ball movement was quite strong, and it wasn’t just Sellers who contributed.
As a team, there was a conscious effort to make better passes and be stronger in facilitating baskets through ball movement, which made a difference.
“We played really unselfish,” Poffenbarger said. “Just continuing to get that next pass, or maybe we had a good shot, but got a better one.”
The Terps have come a long way since the first game of the season where they only had eight assists, compared to today, where they had 27.
Rebounds made a big difference
Maryland’s rebounding was once again in full-force on Sunday. In something that has seen to be somewhat of a strength this season got stronger on Sunday, as the Terps outrebounded Towson, 46-18.
“Ultimately, I don’t think I realized it was 46 to 18,” head coach Laura Harper said.
The Terps had 14 offensive rebounds and 32 defensive rebounds. Towson had four offensive rebounds and 14 defensive rebounds.
For the Terps, Christina Dalce had 10 rebounds, while Saylor Poffenbarger posted nine. Allie Kubek and Mir McLean followed up with five rebounds a piece.
“Dalce, that’s what she does. She’s averaging for four offensive rebounds at games so she got her average, ” Harper said.
The margin between the teams being 28 was staggering, but the Terps didn’t give Towson a lot of chances on the defensive end because they made their shots.
It’s an area that the Terps lacked in last season, especially in terms of size. The rebounding numbers early in the season are a positive sign for this team moving forward.