It comes as little surprise that the Terrapin women’s basketball team, on paper, has dominated the defensive end of the floor to this point in the season.
With a deep lineup defined by its length and a schedule littered with pushovers — the team has played just one ranked opponent in nine games this season — the Terps have regularly bullied opposing offenses. Allowing fewer than 54 points per game, a mark that trails only No. 12 North Carolina in the ACC, the Terps have found success in turning failed opposing possessions into quick transition points.
But there have been some growing pains for the young team. In their past two wins against Loyola and Appalachian State, the Terps (8-1) struggled to consistently clamp down on defense, surrendering the two highest point totals of their young season.
“We got a lot of young girls transferring over from high school, [where] you don’t have to defend some of the top players in the nation,” said center Lynetta Kizer, who has emerged as the team’s vocal leader, especially on the defensive end. “We want to be able to beat ACC-caliber teams; that’s why most of our focus today in practice was on defense.”
As the team counts down the days to its conference opener against No. 5 Duke in early January, its search for a defensive identity takes on particular significance. The Terps, who face UMBC (4-5) tonight at Comcast Center, have experimented with a number of zone, man-to-man and pressing defensive sets throughout the season, getting mixed results from each.
Their 2-3 zone defense allows the team to capitalize on its length but has often fallen victim to miscommunication, leaving opponents with open outside looks and lanes to drive to the basket.
While their man-to-man defense has been solid at times, the Terps have struggled covering opponents’ screen plays, particularly pick-and-rolls.
They’ve even found results from their full-court press — using it to spur a 56-55 comeback victory at Purdue — but have used it only when desperate.
When the team has found consistency on the defensive end, however, it’s allowed the Terps’ athleticism to shine. Solid defense has allowed the Terps to overwhelm opponents, forcing bad shots and turnovers.
The team’s post play has helped cover up some of its early deficiencies up and down the court. The Terps rank second in the country in rebounding margin, meaning second-chance points for opponents have been few and far between this season. Tuesday, Loyola managed a mere four second-chance points despite giving the Terps’ defense trouble all night.
“We’ve found right now that [our length] has really become our forte,” coach Brenda Frese said. “We are just continuing to explore how we can continue to make that our advantage on the floor.”
While turnovers remain arguably the team’s most pressing concern, defense was the team’s focus yesterday. In preparation for a mediocre Retriever squad tonight, the team hurried from the end of practice to the film room for another look at its opponent’s motion offense.
“We just got to understand the big picture, pretty much,” Kizer said. “Defense is effort, and once we get our minds set it’s good because we can run tons of defenses.”
cwalsh@umdbk.com
