Forward Alyssa Thomas reacts to a call during the No. 8 Terps’ 87-83 loss to No. 2 Notre Dame on Jan. 27, 2014 at Comcast Center. The Terps trailed by as many as 22 points in the first half before mounting a furious comeback to take the lead briefly in the second half.
The Terrapins women’s basketball team beat Syracuse, 89-61, at the Carrier Dome on Sunday afternoon, ending its three-game.
Forward Alyssa Thomas had her third triple-double of season with 11 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, and guard Lexie Brown scored a career-high 31 points on 7-of-8 shooting from three-point range.
After struggling to get in the paint against N.C. State on Thursday, the No. 8 Terps’ (17-4, 5-3 ACC) inside offense had early success against Syracuse (16-6, 5-4). The Orange’s zone defense couldn’t stop the Terps from firing passes into the key for layups, and the Terps scored 22 points in the paint in the first half.
Syracuse’s defense began to play a half-court trap more often as the half continued in an effort to prevent entry into the paint, but the pressure opened more opportunities from three-point range. The Terps shot 5-for-8 from beyond the arc in the final 11-and-a-half minutes before halftime, and they entered the break with a 46-29 lead.
The team’s effective offense carried into the next frame, opening the half on a 20-6 run in the first 4:15. With the Terps up 72-48, Thomas rifled a pass to an open Brown on the right wing, who hit the jumper for Thomas’ 10th assist of the contest, sealing the triple-double.
