On the opening possession of Maryland women’s basketball’s 111-49 win over Howard on Tuesday, guard Kristen Confroy finished an and-one layup, giving the Terps a 3-0 edge.
That advantage was all the No. 15 Terps needed. They never trailed the Bison, retaining a lead the entire game for the first time all season.
Following a difficult loss at No. 1 Connecticut two days earlier, the Terps coasted to victory. Six Maryland players scored in double figures and three set career-high marks in that department.
“We showed a lot of character and toughness tonight,” coach Brenda Frese said. “We practiced really hard yesterday, took a lot, gained a lot from our film session and came out ready to play for 40 minutes tonight.”
Forwards Stephanie Jones and Brianna Fraser each finished tied with a career-best 24 points while adding seven and 11 rebounds, respectively. Guard Blair Watson also hit her personal best with 18 points.
The Terps (3-2) scored 100 points for the first time this season.
“Every day we’re working on making that 40-minute game,” Confroy said. “I was really proud of how we played a complete game tonight. We didn’t let up for any of the 40 minutes.”
On Sunday, the Terps trailed the Huskies, 32-11, after the first quarter. In an opposite early performance, they bullied the Bison (0-4) en route to a 33-6 lead after 10 minutes.
Jones played an integral part, scoring 13 points in the first quarter and 15 in the half as the Terps made seven of their first eight field goals. Jones outscored the visitors until they notched their 15th point with 3:41 remaining in the second quarter.
Unlike previous matchups, the Terps didn’t need a second-half renaissance. Instead, three Terps surpassed 10 points at halftime, while the team shot 51.3 percent from the field. They kept the Bison away by a margin of at least 30 points from the 7:22 mark of the second quarter on.
Confroy kicked off a 16-2 Maryland run at the beginning of the second half, a stretch in which she scored 10 of her 19 points. The run gave the Terps a 51-point lead. The senior, who had zero points against Connecticut, also grabbed 10 rebounds.
“I just saw a complete all-around game [from Confroy],” Frese said. “She played free. KC has really been working extremely hard…I thought she played really relaxed, confident and just had a tremendous overall game.”
Confroy said the team’s chemistry and fun-loving attitude played a role in its biggest point output since Nov. 26, 2011.
“It just continues to show the mentality of this team,” Frese said. “How much they just want to continue to get better and improve every single night. I was very pleased with our response in a difficult stretch right now.”