Center Brionna Jones works inside during the Terps’ 95-43 victory over Clemson on Feb. 9, 2014. The matchup was a Play4Kay pink game.
After both of the Terrapins women’s basketball team’s seniors’ past visits to the BankUnited Center, they left the arena empty-handed.
The Terps’ veterans had never won against Miami in Coral Gables, Fla., but on Thursday night, they rode the momentum of their three-game win streak to beat the Hurricanes, 67-52.
“It means a lot,” said Terps forward Alyssa Thomas, a senior. “For the seniors, we’ve never gotten a win down here, so that was a big focal point for us today.”
The Terps (20-4, 8-3 ACC) dominated on the boards, outrebounding Miami (12-12, 4-7), 48-20, to help earn their fourth straight win. The team’s 25 offensive rebounds led to 26 second-chance points, which helped make up for lackluster shooting from three-point range and the free-throw line. The Terps shot 20 percent from beyond the arc and 63.2 percent from the line.
Thomas recorded her 19th double-double of the season, scoring 18 points and grabbing 12 rebounds, while center Brionna Jones, who has scored 10 or more points in four straight games, had 11 points and five rebounds in her fourth start of the season. Center Alicia DeVaughn was second on the team with 11 rebounds, also adding nine points in the contest.
“I thought we were able to use our size inside to our advantage,” coach Brenda Frese said. “Really thought our defense and our rebounding were key for us tonight.”
Miami’s size disadvantage was apparent from the outset. The Terps started the contest with a 7-1 edge on the boards, which helped them score 10 unanswered points in the first 3:48. Jones was effective early in the post, scoring six points and grabbing two rebounds.
The Hurricanes got into a rhythm offensively after the opening spurt and tied the game at 21 with 6:35 remaining in the period. But they would score only six points for the remainder of the half, and the Terps had a 36-27 lead entering the break.
The lead soon extended to 18, as a 13-4 run roughly five minutes into the second half made it 49-31 and broke the game open for the Terps. Miami would never get closer than within 15 for the remainder of the matchup.
Guard Adrienne Motley led the Hurricanes with 12 points, one of only two double-digit scorers for them, as the Terps defense bottled up Miami’s scorers throughout the contest.
“It was all about being poised,” Thomas said. “We knew if we came in and did what we do that we would win this game. So we just came in from the start and punched them in the mouth early.”
Now the Terps look ahead to facing No. 3 Duke in their final trip to Durham, N.C., as an ACC opponent, and they enter the marquee matchup after ending a frustrating losing streak in an environment where no one on their current roster has won.
“We didn’t feel like we responded as well in January, with probably our youth, but you really see us coming together,” Frese said. “Each game we’re building a lot of confidence, but the schedule doesn’t get any easier. You just got to continue to keep grinding and getting better.”
