Brinae Alexander worked in tandem with Jakia Brown-Turner to block a Niagara player’s path in the second quarter, giving the former a perfect opportunity to swat the ball away and coast down the court for a layup of her own.
Alexander’s layup was her seventh made field goal of the game as she recorded a new season high less than 15 minutes into Maryland women’s basketball’s contest against Niagara on Wednesday. She made 11 consecutive field goals, including seven three-pointers, to set a new career high of 29 points in the Terps’ demolition of the Purple Eagles.
“I do love playing at home, and I knew I always shoot well at home, so I was going in with high confidence,” Alexander said.
Alexander’s dominant offensive performance Wednesday night was the best from any Maryland player this season. After three losses in the Terps’ first three weeks of the season, the graduate student’s near-perfect night provided Maryland women’s basketball with a solution to its previously sluggish offense. Now, the Terps have time to perfect it before starting Big Ten play.
[Maryland women’s basketball breezes past Niagara, 114-44, for third consecutive win]
Alexander has made 18 of 28 attempts from the field, good for a 64.3 shooting percentage, in the Terps’ three home games this season. In away games or contests at neutral sites, the sixth-year player made just 11 of 37 attempts.
Alexander acknowledged that she went through “a little lull” with her scoring earlier this season and said her explosive offensive performance was “really needed.”
Alexander’s teammates made sure to keep passing her the ball when they realized she was “hot.” In the third quarter, Bri McDaniel bounced the ball through her legs and out to Alexander, who was waiting behind the arc wide open and made her fifth three-pointer of the game.
“When I found out that she was hot, I was like, girl you better keep shooting that ball, don’t stop shooting that ball, I’m going to hit you every time,” McDaniel said. “Just seeing her hit all the threes that she made and just being herself made me happy.”
[Film study: Shyanne Sellers breaks down plays that have defined her season]
In previous matchups, coach Brenda Frese thought her players weren’t doing a good enough job of finding Alexander when she was open. Against Niagara, the Terps generated easy looks for her.
Frese said Alexander isn’t the type of player to create shots for herself off ball screens, so she needs her team’s help in creating opportunities. Nine of Alexander’s 11 made field goals were assisted in Wednesday’s win. Coaches stressed the importance of passing to Alexander both during film review and in practice. Playing an opponent of Niagara’s stature made it easier for her to get more shots, Frese said.
“We need her three-point shooting, she’s our best three-point shooter, she opens things up,” Frese said. “It makes us hard to guard when you have an inside outside presence … we’ve got to be able to have every single one of her threes and she’s a phenomenal shooter.”
Frese hopes to build on Alexander’s strong performance against Niagara and continue to find her outside the arc. Four straight home games on the Terps’ schedule — and Alexander’s confidence at Xfinity Center — could give Maryland the boost they need heading into conference play.
