The fifth-ranked Maryland women’s basketball team was in a dogfight with Mount Saint Mary’s for the first quarter.
The Mount led more than halfway through the opening 10 minutes and was within one possession with less than a minute left in the period. Maryland struggled to keep them off the board and scored their fewest points in a quarter this season.
The Terps turned the ball over five times, and The Mount scored 10 points off them.
After shooting 1 of 7 from 3-point range in that first quarter, Maryland relied on its inside scoring to go on a 16-3 run spanning most of the second period, putting The Mount away and helping secure the 106-42 win.
“It took us a little bit — it was early — to wake up,” coach Brenda Frese said, referencing the 11 a.m. tipoff. “We had a very slow, sluggish start. You could see that in our shot selection.”
Guard Kaila Charles’ putback with 16 seconds left in the first period made it a two-score game, and the Terps never let the Mountaineers back in it. Senior center Brionna Jones led the charge with eight second-quarter points to give her 12 in the first half.
“We did a much better job settling in in the second quarter [and] getting the ball inside to [Jones],” Frese said.
Jones finished with a double-double, scoring 18 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. In addition to sparking the second-quarter run, Jones helped continue the Terps’ strong play after halftime. With the team’s starters back on the floor, Maryland put together one of their cleanest quarters of the season.
Jones and guard Shatori Walker-Kimbrough both had six points, while Charles and guard Destiny Slocum scored four apiece in the third quarter.
“Everything starts with defense,” Jones said. “If we’re not getting stops we can’t get out in transition.”
Maryland allowed just nine points in the third quarter and, in the five minutes the starters played together, forced six turnovers. That helped the Terps move the ball up the court quickly and score 12 fast break points.
In the beginning of the game, Frese went to her bench early to try to provide a spark. Center Jenna Staiti checked in less than a minute after tipoff, and forward Kiah Gillespie entered a couple of minutes later.
Coming out of halftime, Frese didn’t make a substitution until the quarter was nearly halfway finished.
“We were just much more focused,” Frese said. “When we put our mind to it and we’re locked in, this team is really talented.”
Guard Ieshia Small had one of those turnovers, but it was a rare misstep from the junior transfer. She played significant minutes in the first half due to Slocum being in foul trouble for the second consecutive game.
Wednesday, Small couldn’t capitalize on her chances. She turned the ball over on her first possession and got into foul trouble herself. Friday, she avoided those mistakes en route to 14 points, seven rebounds, five assists and four steals off the bench.
“It started yesterday in practice,” Small said. “I knew that [Frese] forgot about it, so I just had to tell myself to forget about it. … We just came out to play today.”
The Terps didn’t look ready from the start Friday morning, but the team eventually put it together and made the score look about as lopsided as both of their first two wins this season.
“The second half,” Frese said, “was a much better indicator in terms of how we want to play.”
