Forward Alyssa Thomas drives against Connecticut guard Kelly Faris on Dec. 3.
With the announcement shortly before tip-off that forward Tierney Pfirman would be out after dislocating her kneecap in practice yesterday, it seemed as if the Terrapins women’s basketball team would be headed for another difficult, short-handed contest at Georgia Tech.
And in the beginning of the game, that appeared true.
The Terps struggled out of the gate, falling behind early, as the Yellow Jackets employed a three-quarter court press to frustrate ballhandlers. Georgia Tech would lead by as many as six early on.
But the No. 10 Terps, down another player or not, wouldn’t be held back. They rattled off a 24-2 run that spanned both halves, and they took down yet another conference foe, 66-57.
A game in which the Yellow Jackets led 29-23 with 4:25 left in the first half was 47-31 less than six minutes into the second half.
Forward Alyssa Thomas scored 10 of the Terps’ first 12 points out of halftime and finished with a season-high 28 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. Forward Tianna Hawkins and center Alicia DeVaughn also had double-doubles. Hawkins had 16 points and 14 rebounds, while DeVaughn had 11 points and 12 rebounds. The Terps (15-3, 5-1 ACC) outrebounded the Yellow Jackets (8-10, 1-6), 52-29.
Guard Tyuanna Marshall led the Yellow Jackets with 18 points and nine rebounds on 8-of-22 shooting off the bench.
The Terps shot 44.1 percent from the floor while holding Georgia Tech to 35.9 percent.
It was the fifth straight win for the Terps, who haven’t lost since Jan. 3 at North Carolina. The Tar Heels visit College Park on Thursday.
TERPS NOTE: The ESPN2 broadcast said Pfirman is out “indefinitely” because of her injury. According to the broadcast, Pfirman was back in College Park today, and the team is awaiting MRI results.
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