By Matthew Neus and Ben Geffner
Maryland women’s basketball is entering the 2024-25 season as a nearly brand new roster. Only five players are returners from last season, with seven transfers and three highly-touted freshmen ahead of a challenging schedule.
But for coach Brenda Frese, the Terps’ exhibition games are ways to test different rotations and get the roster comfortable with the game day routine, especially with such a new group.
No. 18 Maryland took down Seton Hill, 108-37, on Oct. 20. It feasted offensively against the Division II opponent, with 30 forced turnovers and buckets from all 12 active players.
The Terps started off slow in their second exhibition against Frostburg State with five missing players due to injury. Maryland gripped onto a single digit lead against the Division II opponent for the majority of the first period, but a late scoring run gave the Terps a comfortable 90-40 win.
Here are four key takeaways from the Terps’ two exhibition games.
Depth off the bench
Frese has a plethora of scoring options and won’t need to rely on one player for each game.
Senior guard Shyanne Sellers and junior guard Bri McDaniel, two of the Terps’ three leaders in points from last year, return to the backcourt. The addition of VCU transfer Sarah Te-Biasu will take the ball-handling responsibility off of Sellers, which gives Maryland a “true, ultimate point guard,” according to Frese.
Te-Biasu, a graduate student guard, started in both exhibition matchups, totaling 26 points and nine assists.
Redshirt junior guard Saylor Poffenbarger and junior guard Kaylene Smikle will be key players that can start or be first off the bench. Poffenbarger led Arkansas in starts in the 2022-23 campaign and made 30 starts last year with an average of more than 10 points an outing for the Razorbacks. While only notching 14 starts last season at Rutgers, Smikle averaged about 16 points a game.
The Terps’ depth will be crucial when dealing with foul trouble and different defensive schemes, Frese said.
[Ava McKennie grew up watching her brother play for Maryland. Now she does the same.]
Rebounding upgrades
Maryland didn’t have a single player on this year’s roster finish within the Big Ten’s top 15 in total rebounds last season. But with nine players listed at 6-foot-2 or taller this year compared to just five last year, its upgraded size is notable.
The Terps collected 60 rebounds against Seton Hill, more than any regular season game in the last six years. They outrebounded Frostburg State by nearly 20 in the second exhibition match.
“I think our athleticism is what sets us apart,” senior forward Christina Dalce said. “Not only are we tall, but we can really jump out [of] the gym.”
Dalce and graduate student guard and forward Mir McLean combined for 22 rebounds against Seton Hill. Senior forward Amari DeBerry grabbed a game-high nine rebounds against Frostburg State and Smikle added eight. The four transfers will play crucial parts in Maryland’s rebounding efforts this season.
Frese believes the addition of taller personnel will provide rebounding depth throughout the year.
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Flexibility luxuries
The Terps’ rotation has a plethora of new offensive firepower, both on the scoring and facilitating end. In Maryland’s first exhibition game, 10 different players either notched an assist or scored at least seven points.
The flexibility with multiple players proved crucial in both exhibition games, which created opportunities for enhanced off-ball looks.
With a stacked three-guard starting lineup, the Terps found success in swinging quick passes around the perimeter before dumping off entry looks inside. Maryland totaled 118 paint points in the exhibition games.
“Anyone on this team can score,” freshman guard Kyndal Walker said. “When we share the ball and the ball is moving, it gives the ball a lot of energy.”
While Maryland continues to build chemistry within its new rotation, sharing the wealth and seeking extra passes is a primary focus for Frese.
Te-Biasu and Walker led the primary ball-handling responsibilities throughout exhibition play, accounting for 13 combined assists. Frese said getting others involved to continue to spark the Terps’ offense is crucial.
An experienced squad
Maryland boasts one of the most veteran-heavy rosters in the country.
Three players are graduate students, three will play their senior season, three redshirt juniors and two juniors. Frese shifted her approach in the transfer portal to go after established players to correct the issues that plagued the Terps last year.
Poffenbarger and Te-Biasu each averaged more than 31 minutes and Dalce played more than 27 minutes a game for their respective teams last season. Te-Biasu and Dalce started in both exhibitions, playing more than 30 minutes across both games.
Graduate student forward Allie Kubek, who scored 15 points against Frostburg State, and sophomore guard and forward Emily Fisher return after eclipsing more than 10 minutes of action a game last year. Sellers and McDaniel will likely have similar usage from a season ago as the campaign progresses.
Maryland’s experience will be necessary in the expanded Big Ten, where the Terps will be tested each game.
“Every game in conference play is going to feel like the NCAA tournament,” Frese said.