Alyssa Thomas flung the ball toward Katie Rutan, who received the pass behind the three-point line with plenty of time to shoot last night at Comcast Center.

The Terrapins women’s basketball guard’s first 3-pointer of the game fell through the net as Thomas picked up her second assist in the first two minutes of the Terps’ ACC game against Florida State. It was the start of a career night for both players, and the pair keyed the No. 8 Terps to an 87-77 win over the Seminoles.

Thomas, a senior forward, posted her fourth triple-double of the season, recording a career-high 12 assists to go with 22 points and 12 rebounds. Rutan shot 8-of-10 from three-point range, tying the program record for three-point field goals in a game during her 24-point performance.

In the first game after learning that her jersey will be honored during the Terps’ Senior Day on March 2, Thomas put forth another display that further solidified her place among the program’s greats. The national player of the year candidate’s performance puts her one triple-double away from tying the single-season and career NCAA records for triple-doubles, and the Terps’ 56.5 field goal percentage against the Seminoles played a big role in her night.

“It’s cool because triple-doubles are hard to come by,” Thomas said. “But I can’t get them without my teammates, so I think that makes it even more special.”

All of Rutan’s field goals came from the beyond the arc, as her record performance put her alongside Terps great Kristi Toliver.

“It’s great,” Rutan said. “It’s awesome. I’m glad I could tie her. I wish I could beat her, but it’s good to be with her.”

The Terps (21-5, 9-4 ACC) went to center Brionna Jones in the post early, and she scored six points in the first 4 minutes, 35 seconds. With the Seminoles (17-9, 5-8) trying to deny entry passes into the paint, the Terps found more open shots from three-point range.

The Terps made 3-pointers on three straight offensive possessions to jump-start a 15-3 run in less than three minutes to extend their lead to 26-13 with 11:50 left in the half.

“[Rutan] got really easy looks and shot the ball with a ton of confidence, and I thought we did a really nice job as a team of finding her with great inside-outside looks,” coach Brenda Frese said. “Fun to watch Katie when she’s shooting the ball like that.”

The Seminoles also found success from three-point range, an area where they have struggled for most of the season. Entering the game, Florida State was shooting 27.6 percent from beyond the arc, but with 8:26 remaining in the first half, the team was 5-of-5.

Guard Emiah Bingley’s 3-pointer kept the Seminoles within 10 points, but they missed their next three in the period’s closing minutes. Rutan hit her next two three-point shots — going 6-of-7 before halftime — to help the Terps to a 53-35 lead at the break.

However, she made two three-pointers in the second half, while Florida State made a late push to get back into the game.

“I thought we definitely wore down,” Frese said.

Forward Natasha Howard, who had 35 points and 11 rebounds, scored nine straight points in 3 minutes, 14 seconds to lead a 17-6 Seminoles run to close their deficit to 85-77 with 1:10 remaining in the second half.

But Thomas’ long 2-pointer with 42 seconds left sealed a result that prevented a continuation of the Terps’ struggles from Monday’s loss at Duke.

Thomas and Rutan led a Terps team looking to finish the last three games of their regular season strong.

“I thought it was a game of runs,” Frese said. “Credit, obviously, to A.T. and Katie and the balance that we have when you talk about the assists on made baskets. I thought we were really unselfish and we shot the ball extremely well.”