Center Malina Howard
Last season forward A’lexus Harrison watched from the bench as the Terrapins women’s basketball team made a deep run in the NCAA tournament before falling in the Final Four to Notre Dame. Harrison had to have her appendix removed early in the season so the Terps opted to redshirt her.
In an exhibition bout with Goldey-Beacom College on Saturday night, Harrison finally got a chance to demonstrate her skills in front of fans at the Xfinity Center. And the redshirt freshman shined in the spotlight.
Harrison scored 12 points and added 9 rebounds in her debut as the No. 10 Terps coasted to a 103-43 win over the Division II Lighting.
“She was a huge spark,” coach Brenda Frese said. “That is how she has been practicing so it was nice to be able to see her take that from practice into the game.”
The redshirt freshman was the first player Frese selected to come off the bench after the Terps had jumped out to an early 8-0 lead. Harrison poured in seven points in her first stint on the floor to extend the Terps’ run to 19-0 to start the game.
The Baltimore native finished the first half going a perfect 5 of 5 from the floor and led the team with 11 points at the break. She added a pair of the Terps’ 10 first-half steals that contributed to 22 points off turnovers.
The rest of the Terps used their athleticism to dominate the first half and take a 56-25 lead into the locker room. The Terps pressed early against the Lightning and forced 16 of Goldey-Beacom’s 27 turnovers in the first half.
“We are fast,” Frese said of the press. “It’s going to be able to help us…it’s something that we want to be able to use a lot more. ”
Even when the Terps didn’t force turnovers, they were looking to run. Guards Lexie Brown, Brene Moseley and Chloe Pavlech all pushed the ball when they were on the floor, which contributed to 13 free throw attempts in the first half.
With Goldey-Beacom’s tallest player standing at 5-foot-10, the Terps outrebounded the Lightning, 65-27, in the game. Plus, the Terps used the height discrepancy to dominate down low, outscoring the Lightning 52-4 in the paint.
“Until we play matched competition you [won’t] have a true indication,” Frese said. “But I thought that we were actively going after the glass, which is where it starts.”
After 11 of the 12 Terps players scored in first half, guard Kristen Confroy broke her scoreless trend in a big way. The freshman dropped 10 points in the second half including going 2 for 3 from behind the arc in the second half.
Confroy had played two scrimmages against the scout team in Xfinity Center prior to the scrimmage, but she said it didn’t help her get her nerves out like she had hoped.
“It’s so different with the uniforms, and the pep-rally band and all the fans,” Confroy said.
The freshman added seven rebounds and a pair of assists in 19 minutes of action, which led her to join Harrison with a solid debut.
The Terps knew what Harrison had to offer last season, but the unexpected appendix surgery cost her a chance to contribute to the Terps’ postseason run. Now she is ready to perform in the Terps’ inaugural Big Ten season.
“What we know and what most people don’t know is how hard she has been working last year,” guard Shatori Walker-Kimbrough said. “She deserves everything she is getting cause we know how hard she’s been working.”
