In the waning moments of practice Tuesday, Maryland women’s basketball coach Brenda Frese — displeased with her players’ execution — stopped a drill to remind them of their ball security shortcomings in a 82-71 win over Dayton last Sunday.

“We had 24 turnovers against a team that didn’t press us,” the coach lectured. “We can’t do that.”

And minutes later, the team whipped the ball around the perimeter, softening the defense until guard Taylor Mikesell received a perfectly-timed feed in rhythm. The freshman swished a deep three-point attempt, prompting Frese to clap and nod in approval.

With the Terps’ clash with No. 10 South Carolina looming Sunday, they must shore up any offensive imperfections in the interim. Maryland’s final tuneup before that bout in Columbia, South Carolina, comes at George Washington on Wednesday.

“Obviously [Dayton] was only one game, but we had way too many [turnovers],” Frese said. “It’s early in the season. It’s something we can definitely trim down, and as we get more comfortable with each other on the court we’ll be able to take care of those.”

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In a season-opening 93-36 dismantling of Coppin State, the Terps shot an abysmal 38.6 percent clip despite the lopsided margin of victory. Following the game, Frese attributed the lack of shooting touch to early-season jitters.

Although Maryland corrected its failings from the field against the Flyers — the team shot 55.9 percent and sunk four of eight tries from deep — constant giveaways kept the game close. After a 20-assist and eight-turnover performance it their first game, the Terps committed 24 turnovers Sunday.

“I’m not sure why,” forward Shakira Austin said. “I guess just not being focused all the way. Overall just fixing little stuff and just being consistent.”

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Maryland’s first two opponents didn’t have the talent to cause an upset, even with Frese’s squad shooting sub-40 percent or committing 20-plus turnovers. But that won’t be the case during Big Ten play, and it won’t be the case against the No. 10 Gamecocks in a little over a week.

Moments after Mikesell pierced the net from the left wing Tuesday, guard Sarah Myers did the same from the opposite corner.

If the execution at the end of practice was any indication of what’s to come against George Washington, the Terps’ scoring struggles may not be a talking point much longer.

“It’s very important to correct now,” forward Stephanie Jones said. “Come tournament time, you don’t want to lose a game and end your season because of something you could’ve fixed early.”