The Terps improved to 2-0 in their home opener.
No. 18 Maryland women’s basketball got just two days of rest between its season opener and its second nonconference matchup Coppin State.
The Terps blew the game open in the second quarter and didn’t look back winning 70-47 to improve to 2-0.
Here are three takeaways from the victory.
Kaylene Smikle has arrived
After a relatively quiet season opener, Kaylene Smikle made her presence felt in Maryland’s second game.
She got hot out of the gate, making two early 3-pointers, and didn’t look back. She finished with 20 points to go along with three rebounds and two steals.
“Just coming out and hitting threes and my teammates were finding me, just made it easier to get going,” Smikle said.
Smikle showcased her offensive bag and scored on all three levels, knocking down four 3-pointers and shooting 7 for 12 overall.
Smikle’s performance should solidify her place in the starting lineup over other options like Bri McDaniel and Mir McLean.
“She’s a big-time player, she’s a scorer. I love that she shot the ball with confidence,” Maryland head coach Brenda Frese said. “She was aggressive, making the right reads.”
Smikle was the leading scorer for conference foe Rutgers the last two years.
Transition continues to be key
Through the first two games, Maryland’s ability to push the pace has been a massive asset.
Against Coppin State, they forced 17 turnovers that led to 18 points. Ten of the turnovers were steals, with freshman Ava McKennie leading the way with three.
“[The transition game] gives us a lot of opportunities,” guard Sarah Te-Biasu said, “and then just finding my teammates for open threes or inside.”
The Terps acquired a lot of length in the transfer portal, which makes them a difficult puzzle to solve defensively. In the second quarter, Coppin State managed just four points and Maryland turned them over repeatedly.
“We were disruptive, we made them uncomfortable, we changed the pace of play,” Frese said.
As the Terps prepare for tougher competition, their ability to turn teams over and get easy layups in transition could be invaluable.
Transfers took the reins
Thursday night’s win showed Maryland’s “big three” returners of Allie Kubek, Shyanne Sellers and McDaniel can have a quiet night and the Terps can still produce with the game on their transfer’s shoulders.
Smikle and Te-Biasu scored 20 and 12 points, respectively. McLean added seven points and Poffenbarger and DeBerry had six point each. Altogether, transfers totaled 55 of Maryland’s 70 points.
“That’s what we expected them to do,” Frese said. “They’ve got that experience under their belt. They’ve shown that in their previous history.”
The transfers also led the way in a much better shooting day from beyond the arc than Maryland had in its opener. Te-Biasu, Poffenbarger and Smikle were responsible for all 10 of Maryland’s made threes.
“We were talking in the locker room like, ‘We’re going to have to adjust on how they guard us,’” Poffenbarger said. “We had to prove ourselves beyond the arc.”