The Maryland women’s basketball team fell one spot to No. 8 in the Associated Press poll released Monday.
The Terps split a pair of games last week and are now 23-3 overall and 12-3 in the Big Ten. After crushing Nebraska, 89-63, on Thursday Maryland dropped a road battle with No. 10 Iowa, 86-73, on Sunday.
Against the Hawkeyes, the Terps stymied All-American forward Megan Gustafson — who came into the game with an NCAA-leading 27.3 points per game — in the opening half. The senior had just seven points on 3-of-7 shooting, but she scored 24 second-half points to guide the Hawkeyes to a double-digit triumph, snapping the Terps’ eight-game winning streak.
[Read more: No. 7 Maryland women’s basketball’s 8-game win streak snapped in 86-73 loss to No. 14 Iowa]
The game was arguably decided at the foul line, where Iowa finished with a 29-8 advantage in attempts and Gustafson alone sunk 11-of-12 tries.
Earlier in the week, Maryland used a 20-point late-game run to pull away from the Huskers. Guard Kaila Charles led the way with 22 points, but the Terps’ top scorer had just two points against the Hawkeyes.
For the first time since the preseason rankings, just one other Big Ten squad appeared in the poll.
Rutgers and Michigan State, which were ranked Nos. 23 and 24 last week, respectively, both fell to the receiving votes echelon. The Scarlet Knights have lost three straight contests, including a shocking 20-point defeat to Ohio State on Thursday. The Spartans went 1-2 last week to fall off the list.
