Six members of the Maryland women’s basketball team finished with at least three fouls and two of its starters had four at Purdue on Thursday.
The Terps’ leading scorers, center Brionna Jones and guard Shatori Walker-Kimbrough, both had multiple fouls in the first half that limited their playing time.
That still couldn’t stop the Terps, who responded to periods of offensive struggles and unconventional lineups by putting five players in double-figures — including two off the bench — and beating the Boilermakers 85-70.
“Proud of our depth,” coach Brenda Frese said. “We were really able to share the basketball and really get a lot of [scoring] options.”
Maryland played an inconsistent first half, opening up a 12-point lead midway through the second quarter but going scoreless for the next five minutes.
Purdue closed the lead to five during that stretch and nearly went to halftime on the back of that 7-0 run. Instead, guard Destiny Slocum made another one of her patented buzzer beaters, this one from the logo at midcourt, to put Maryland up 43-35 at the break.
“It was a game of runs tonight, with the flow of the game,” Frese said.
Jones helped power the run that gave Maryland that big second-quarter lead. At one point she scored seven points in less than two minutes during the second period. However, just as her scoring gave her team the lead, her absence nearly led to Purdue taking it back.
About a minute after a Jones three-point play put Maryland up 40-28 with 5 minutes 34 seconds left, she picked up her second foul and didn’t return the rest of the half. The Boilermakers scored the next seven points, a run only broken by Slocum’s long ball.
“We expect that from Destiny now,” guard Ieshia Small said, referring to Slocum’s penchant for making long 3-pointers at the buzzer. “It’s not luck anymore. I want the ball in her hands in a situation like that.”
When Jones was on the floor, she was the team’s most consistent offensive weapon, finishing with 17 points and 10 offensive rebounds in 24 minutes. Other than her, Maryland didn’t have a go-to scorer for much of Thursday.
Instead, the Terps used a variety of players to keep the offense productive during various stretches.
At one point in the first quarter, forward Brianna Fraser scored all eight of Maryland’s points during a two-plus-minute stretch that started with the Terps trailing by three points and ended with Maryland up by one. Fraser finished with a game-high and career-best 18 points. The Brooklyn, New York, native’s previous highest point total was 17 points, set last game against Illinois.
“The game’s slowing down for her,” Frese said. “She’s giving us a great option, especially when Bri Jones gets in foul trouble.”
Slocum’s shot gave the offense a jolt headed into halftime, and guard Kaila Charles buoyed the Terps early in the third quarter with six consecutive points to push its lead to 11. Charles had nine points and four fouls.
Shortly after, Maryland went on a 9-0 run that stretched its lead to 16 points and all but put the Boilermakers away. Guard Ieshia Small had a layup during that stretch for two of her 14 points.
“[Small and Fraser] both came in with a ton of energy,” Frese said. “30-plus points off the bench.”
Meanwhile, the Boilermakers struggled mightily on offense in the second half. Purdue shot just 32.7 percent from the field after halftime.
“We had to work really hard tonight,” Frese said. “We’re pleased to be able to come away with a win.”
