The Terps led by 57 points at halftime.
No. 11 Maryland women’s basketball welcomed Saint Francis (PA) to Xfinity Center on Sunday afternoon, trying to protect its perfect 5-0 start to the year.
It didn’t take long for it to become apparent that the Terps would stay perfect, as they won the first quarter, 32-3.
Here are three takeaways from the game.
Game went to script
On paper, this game looked like a total mismatch, and not just because Maryland was playing an average early season game against a low-level opponent.
Saint Francis has a chance to be one of the worst teams in women’s Division I hoops this season. For context, earlier this year, Maryland beat Coppin State by 23 points, 70-47. That same Coppin State team beat Saint Francis, 74-38.
Needless to say, the Terps were massive favorites. And they delivered.
Their final margin of victory ended up being 72, just four points short of the largest in program history.
“We’re not playing the score, we’re not playing the team,” head coach Brenda Frese said. “We’re playing to have really good habits, especially defensively.”
Saint Francis’ 35 points was the second fewest from a Maryland opponent this year. The Terps’ 107 points is their most since last November against Niagara.
Rebounding remains an advantage
Maryland is off to a 6-0 start, and its effort on the glass is a big factor.
The Terps have outrebounded their opponents in every single game so far this season, and they still managed to reach a new season high of 53 against the Red Flash.
As she’s done all year, Christina Dalce led the way with 11 rebounds. Mir McLean also had her best game of the year, with 10 points and 10 rebounds off the bench.
“Our tenacity and size on the boards helps us a lot,” Allie Kubek said. “[Christina] and Mir are double-double machines, so just us working on it everyday in practice, helps to lock in games.”
The Terps entered Sunday’s game eighth in the country in average rebounding margin at plus-16, and proceeded to out rebound the Red Flash by 31. Ten of Maryland’s rebounds were offensive, which led to 22 second chance points.
“[Rebounding] is an area we should dominate,” Frese said. “We need to, with great habits.”
Some season highs
The blowout victory gave some Terps a chance to get some extra playing time and put in some of their best performances of the season.
Mir McLean put up a double-double, setting new season highs in points and rebounds in her first year as a Terp.
“You’re going to see more of Mir,” Kaylene Smikle said. “She’s just getting back into it, so it’s not a shock, she’s going to continue to be Mir.”
Amari DeBerry also played her most minutes of the year (15). She was relatively quiet offensively with just five points, but the 6-foot-6 center did record four blocks on the defensive end.
Frese said she was disappointed with the team’s effort in the fourth quarter, and that she gives playing time in blowouts according to who had a good week of practice.
“This isn’t high school anymore,” Frese said. “I thought players that had great practices were rewarded today, and it was no surprise to me in the fourth quarter the way things went.”