Terrapin women’s basketball coach Brenda Frese recognized the need for a change after uncomfortably close wins against Appalachian State and Loyola earlier last week.

She also recognized the Terps’ clear size advantage had become what she described last Thursday as the team’s “forte.”

So when Frese unveiled an unusual assortment of starters Friday night against UMBC, the only thing that seemed surprising about the lineup was how quickly it thrived.

With four post players joining lone guard Anjale Barrett for tip-off against the Retrievers, the No. 22 Terps charged out to a 12-0 lead over the first five minutes. They never looked back, cruising to their eighth straight win, 71-45.

“With the play of our bigs right now, we needed to find them more minutes,” Frese said. “Right now, our size is really helping us — we just want to continue to find ways to utilize it. We really came out early with that knockout punch.”

Forward Tianna Hawkins, who joined Barrett, center Lynetta Kizer and forwards Diandra Tchatchouang and Alyssa Thomas in the starting five, continued to impress. In her first start this season, Hawkins led the Terps with 16 points while also chipping in five rebounds in the decisive victory.

The Terps also took an important stride forward on the defensive end in a game they controlled throughout.

In its previous two games, the team appeared disjointed on defense at times in surrendering its two highest point totals of the season.

But on Friday, the renewed focus on stingy defense shone through. The Terps (9-1) surrendered just 16 points in the first half, often forcing the Retrievers deep into the shot clock and causing several shot-clock violations and poor, desperate shots.

“I thought we were really aggressive in the first half. … We had great energy and intensity,” Frese said. “To see so many shot-clock violations, I thought we were able to give them some trouble.”

Thomas, who missed the team’s Dec. 7 game at Loyola with a knee injury, had a strong return to the lineup with 10 points and six rebounds. Her mid-range jump shot proved especially valuable, as the Retrievers (4-6) packed into the paint to stifle the Terps’ post play.

“There’s a lot of players [on the team] that can create off the dribble and knock down open shots,” said Barrett, who added that playing with four “bigs” didn’t alter the way the Terps approached the game.

Barrett’s outside shooting also came in handy, as she made two 3-pointers in a 12-point, six-assist performance.

The well-rounded victory — 11 players scored in the win — sent the Terps into their nine-day break for final exams on a high note.

They will return to action Dec. 19 at Delaware State in one of their final tune-ups before conference play begins at No. 5 Duke on Jan. 6.

“This is where you want to start clicking on all cylinders,” Frese said.

TERP NOTE: The time of the Terps’ Dec. 29 game in the Terrapin Classic has been changed to 11:30 a.m. at Comcast Center to avoid conflict with the Military Bowl, in which the Terrapin football team will appear at 2:30 p.m. at RFK Stadium in Washington. The game will be the Terps’ second of the tournament and, barring an upset, will likely be against No. 20 St. John’s.

cwalsh@umdbk.com