Entering Saturday’s game against Washington State, the Maryland women’s basketball team hadn’t trailed by more than two points all season.
The Terps had outscored their opponents in every quarter of their first five games and hadn’t faced a deficit later than the four-minute mark in the first quarter.
Washington State, however, proved to be the first team capable of keeping pace with the No. 6 Terps, who prevailed 79-69 in their second outing of the South Point Shootout in Las Vegas. The Cougars stayed with Maryland, forcing the Terps into their first game decided by fewer than 22 points.
“It was a hard-fought, physical game,” coach Brenda Frese said. “I liked our competitiveness throughout a 40-minute game.”
Center Brionna Jones powered the Terps with a team-high 20 points and 20 of Maryland’s 44 rebounds.
“They had no answer for her on both ends of the floor,” Frese said. “She really willed this team to win.”
After struggling for the first three quarters, the Terps led for much of the fourth. But Washington State forward Borislava Hristova made a layup with four minutes and 47 seconds left to tie the game at 61.
Then, Maryland closed the game on a 18-8 run, highlighted by a 3-pointer from guard Destiny Slocum — the team’s first of the second half — to build a six-point advantage at the 2:27 mark. The Terps’ final 10-point advantage was their largest of the night.
“Definitely a good test for us,” Jones said. “With our freshmen, getting them into a game that’s a tough game and a tough situation and being able to pull out the win.”
After Jones helped lift Maryland early in the game, Slocum and fellow freshman guard Kaila Charles put the Cougars away in the fourth quarter. The duo combined for 13 points and four steals in the final 10 minutes.
Six of those points came from the free-throw line, where Maryland excelled down the stretch. Maryland went 15-for-19 on free throws in the fourth quarter, while the Cougars made five of their 13 free throws in the final period.
Charles finished with a career-high 19 points to go with five rebounds and four steals.
“This team is really competitive,” Frese said. “They’d much rather play in games like this, where you’re tested.”
Maryland started the game in a shooting slump, making three of its first 10 shots as the Cougars opened up a 12-10 lead.
Meanwhile, Washington State went 3-for-4 on 3-pointers in the first quarter and 6-for-9 in the first half, keeping the Terps’ comeback at bay. Frese called the Cougars a “tremendous offensive team.”
Jones hit a layup with eight seconds left in the first half to give her team a 34-33 lead, but a Cougars free throw six seconds later for a halftime tie.
Apart from Jones’ 20 boards, the Terps struggled to gather rebounds. After the Terps dominated the boards all season, Washington State outrebounded Maryland, 47-44.
“They did a phenomenal job on the glass,” Frese said.
The Cougars lost their long-range shooting touch in the second half, though, going 2-for-8 from beyond the arc after halftime.
The teams stayed tight through the third quarter, and a layup from Charles with 23 seconds left gave the Terps the 53-52 lead they carried into the fourth quarter. After a bucket from Hristova put the Cougars on top 54-53, guard Shatori Walker-Kimbrough made a pair of free throws to get the Terps lead back with nine minutes and 38 seconds left.
Hristova, who had a game-high 25 points, tied the game later, but Washington State never recaptured the lead, and Maryland prevailed in its first challenge of the season.
“This game is definitely going to set our mindset,” Jones said. “[It showed] how hard we have to compete going forward.”
