Guard Chloe Pavlech looks to pass the ball when the Terps beat Detroit Mercy, 97-41, at Xfinity Center on Nov. 20, 2015.
Though Chloe Pavlech started at point guard for the Terrapins women’s basketball team in each of its first two dominating victories, the senior discussed her underwhelming performances early on with coach Brenda Frese.
Pavlech scored three points on 1-for-9 shooting over her first two contests. And while she didn’t commit a turnover, she tallied three assists in 39 minutes.
After talking with Frese before Friday’s contest with Detroit Mercy, though, Pavlech turned in an outing more similar to what her veteran coach expects to see from the Terps’ floor general. In 22 minutes, Pavlech scored six points, grabbed six boards and dished out three assists to help her team cruise to a 97-41 win over the Titans.
“I’m not really sure what I was doing the first two games of the season,” Pavlech said. “Sort of mentally, I wasn’t really there. Obviously, [Friday] I was ready.”
Former guard Lexie Brown, who ran the Terps’ offense during their back-to-back runs to the Final Four the past two seasons, transferred to Duke in the offseason, leaving a void at starting point guard. Either Pavlech or senior guard Brene Moseley was expected to fill that role.
While Pavlech earned the nod, starting with the team’s opening exhibition against Goldey-Beacom on Oct. 31, Moseley has outproduced her veteran counterpart, averaging 18.5 points and 9.5 assists over her first two regular-season games. Against Detroit Mercy, the Burtonsville native continued her offensive tear with 13 points and 10 assists.
Still, Frese was pleased to see Pavlech bounce back after their conversation before the contest.
“I thought she had some uncharacteristic play in terms of where she presented in her first two exhibition games and scrimmages before that,” Frese said. “So just getting back to how she knows how to play, set the tone for us on offense. Her communication on defense keeps us on the same page. Just the things that I know she’s capable of.”
Pavlech immediately affected the game offensively, assisting on guard Shatori Walker-Kimbrough’s 3-pointer just 51 seconds into Friday’s contest. On the next possession, Pavlech drilled her attempt from behind the arc, propelling the Terps to a 6-3 lead early on.
Overall, the Cincinnati native set the tone for the Terps, who finished with 24 assists on 35 field goals in the blowout victory.
“Love the unselfish play when you talk about the assist-to-turnover ratio, making plays for each other and being dominant on the glass,” Frese said.
With the departures of Brown and former guard Laurin Mincy, who graduated after last season, Walker-Kimbrough entered this year as the only returning starter in the backcourt. Pavlech has been a part of the program for more than three seasons, but has averaged just 8.35 minutes per game over the past two campaigns.
But this season is different. As the Terps attempt to return to the Final Four for the third straight year, Pavlech has a larger role.
“She’s a great leader,” Walker-Kimbrough said. “We appreciate all that she brings to us. I mean, she’s a big part of our team.”
