CHESTNUT HILL, Mass.-With its long-awaited matchup with No. 12 Duke looming on Monday, the No. 4 Terrapin women’s basketball team could have easily looked past its game Thursday night at Boston College.
But taking games off isn’t the Terps’ style.
Junior guard Kristi Toliver scored 26 points, and senior center Crystal Langhorne had 18 points and 18 rebounds as the Terps dominated the Eagles 88-61 to win their third-straight lopsided game to open their ACC schedule.
“We handled what they threw at us on both ends of the floor,” assistant coach Daron Park said. “We kept our composure and did the things we needed to do to come out of here with a road victory.”
The Terps’ (19-1, 3-0) struggled from the field early on, making just three of their first 14 shots, and Toliver went 0-for-her first six.
But the Terps dominated the offensive glass and scored 11 second-chance points as they jumped out to an early 23-9 lead.
“We weren’t making all of our outside shots or shots in the post, but everybody was just trying to rebound as hard as we could to get easy baskets,” Langhorne said.
A quick 8-0 run by the Eagles (13-4, 2-1) late in the first half cut the Terps’ lead to seven and briefly energized Conte Forum, but the Terps calmly regained control and led 40-28 at halftime even after Eagles sophomore guard Mickel Picco hit a runner at the buzzer.
Langhorne had already recorded her sixth double-double of the season by then, scoring 12 points and grabbing 11 rebounds before halftime.
Langhorne eclipsed former Terp Len Elmore’s school rebounding record for both men and women, and now has 1,065 for her career.
“It means a lot of course, just being in that category,” Langhorne said, “but I still focus on team goals.”
The pace quickened in the second half as both teams sprinted up and down the floor scoring baskets in transition and early in their halfcourt sets, but the result was the same.
Toliver scored 12 of her 26 points in the first eight minutes of the second half, and the Terps stretched their lead to 68-47.
“We moved the ball really well on the offensive end and it created a lot of open shots for us,” Toliver said.
The Eagles didn’t get closer than within 18 the rest of the way, and the Terps coasted to their ninth-consecutive win.
Park continues to fill in ably for Terps head coach Brenda Frese, who is pregnant with twins due in March and no longer travels to road games.
The Terps are now 5-0 with Park at the helm.
“Brenda could have kids every year during the season,” Eagles coach Cathy Inglese said. “Their whole staff is doing a great job.”
Frese is expected to be on the bench Monday when the Terps face the Blue Devils at Comcast Center.
