The Terrapins women’s basketball team knew Rutgers preferred low-scoring affairs entering its game with the Scarlet Knights on Sunday afternoon.
Rutgers ranks last in the Big Ten in scoring at 62.1 points per game but leads the conference in scoring defense, allowing 58.9 points per contest. The Scarlet Knights have allowed an opponent to score at least 85 points — the Terps’ season average is 84.4 — twice in 28 games.
While the Terps didn’t reach their usual scoring mark, which ranks fourth in the nation, their offensive efficiency early helped carried them to a 73-58 win over Rutgers at the Louis Brown Athletic Center. Coach Brenda Frese’s team made 15 of its 29 attempts over the first 20 minutes and finished the game with just eight turnovers, tied for their season low.
Defensively, the Terps (25-3, 14-2 Big Ten) held Rutgers (16-12, 7-9) to 28 percent shooting in the first half.
“It was one of our most complete games,” Frese said. “To have a 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio is big for us. Defensively, rebounding the basketball, and then I thought we just did a really nice job in terms of just having a lot of contributions from a lot of players.”
Guard Shatori Walker-Kimbrough bounced back from a season-low nine points against Michigan on Wednesday to score a team-high 21 points on 7-for-15 shooting. This came after the Wooden Award candidate started the afternoon missing four of her first five shots.
Center Brionna Jones, meanwhile, followed up her dominant performance against the Wolverines with 14 points and 11 rebounds, and guard Brene Moseley (10) was the Terps’ third player to score in double digits.
Moseley, who also tallied five assists in 25 minutes, said the Terps’ ability to take care of the basketball stemmed from slowing the game down. The Terps gave the ball away at least 20 times in three straight games before committing 15 turnovers in their win over the Wolverines. And Sunday’s performance appeared to be another step in the right direction.
“We were able to pick apart what we wanted to,” Moseley said. “Our pace was really good.”
Those issues persisted early on, though, as the Terps committed half of their turnovers in the first quarter. They attempted just 11 shots as a result, ending the opening frame with just 14 points.
The Terps were on pace to commit at least 15 turnovers for the seventh straight game, but they cut down on their giveaways as the game progressed. Combined with increased field-goal attempts and better shooting from the floor, they extended their four-point lead at the end of the first quarter to double digits by halftime.
It helped that Rutgers scored eight points in the second quarter against the Terps’ zone defense, designed to force the Scarlet Knights into taking outside shots. Frese also credited her team’s press, which she said was able to slow the Rutgers offense.
The Scarlet Knights managed to finish the game shooting better than 40 percent thanks to forward Kahleah Copper, who made 10 of her 13 shots en route to scoring 23 points. They even outscored the Terps, 20-17, over the final 10 minutes.
Nevertheless, the Terps’ lack of turnovers allowed them to attempt 64 shots against a stingy Rutgers defense.
It’s a trend the Terps hope will continue as they approach the postseason.
“Coach always says to focus on ourselves and continue to focus in on the little things,” Walker-Kimbrough said. “I know turnovers were definitely one of our emphases, and we locked into that today. There’s still definitely room for improvement, but just taking the little things and expanding on those.”
