The Maryland women’s basketball team’s stars have been playing up to expectations this season.
Center Brionna Jones is averaging more than 22 points per game in conference play and has collected a double-double in her past 10 outings. Guard Shatori Walker-Kimbrough has poured in at least 15 points in every Big Ten game.
Those streaks and high level of productivity continued in the Terps’ past two games. But those contests also included the emergence of other contributors who could be crucial as Maryland closes out the season.
Forward Kiah Gillespie and guard Kaila Charles had some of their best games of the season this past weekend, with the latter earning Big Ten Freshman of the Week.
“It just gives you confidence that your teammates are trusting you with the ball,” Charles said after the Rutgers game. “They were giving it to me when I had good position and I was able to score off of it.”
The Terps were locked in a tight game with Rutgers on Sunday when midway through the second quarter Charles took over. She finished layups on consecutive possessions to give the Terps a 20-18 lead.
Rutgers picked off an attempted entry pass from Charles shortly after, but the Glenn Dale native hustled in transition to steal the ball back. Then, Charles collected a miss from Jones and made an easy put-back for her sixth consecutive point.
Coach Brenda Frese credited Charles, who’s started every contest this season, with keeping her team in the game during this stretch and stepping it up down the stretch. The freshman blocked a Rutgers shot on the other end and, after another offensive rebound, she dished an assist to Gillespie that extended Maryland’s lead to seven points with 1:36 left in the half.
In less than four minutes, Charles had six points, four rebounds and a block, steal and assist.
“Kaila was sensational,” Frese said. “Especially in the first half.”
Gillespie, meanwhile, was coming off a breakout performance of her own. The sophomore has been inconsistent, as she’s battled to earn minutes after starting nine games and averaging 11 minutes as a freshman.
In the team’s only loss of the season on Dec. 29 against UConn, Gillespie never entered the game, just the second time in her career she didn’t play. She’s participated in every contest since, though, and she played a big role off the bench in Thursday’s victory over Michigan.
The Meriden, Connecticut, native scored nine points against the Wolverines — her most points in more than a month. She notched 18 minutes after combining to play just two minutes in the previous two games.
“It was special to watch. That’s what we’ve been seeing in practice,” Frese said after the Michigan matchup. “I love how hard she’s been working. You see, just putting your head down and continuing to stay the course and good things are going to come your way.”
Gillespie added six rebounds, three assists and a pair of blocks and steals to her nine-point game. Though it may be hard to believe considering Jones’ gaudy statline of 25 points and 10 rebounds, the senior was in foul trouble against the Wolverines, and Gillespie and Charles helped pick up the slack on defense.
“We didn’t miss a beat,” Frese said. “That’s what you’re supposed to do when you have a deep team.”
For Gillespie, it was a welcome change to earlier matchups when she was left watching from the sidelines.
“It’s fun to just go out, put my head down and work,” Gillespie said.
