Maryland point guard Sarah Te-Biasu sprinted through a crowded paint, hunting for a steal.
UMBC’s Talia Davis took a dribble before aiming a pass across the perimeter. Te-Biasu anticipated the mistimed pass, snatching the ball before leading the break for a coast-to-coast layup.
The Terps forced 25 UMBC turnovers, fueling speedy transition play that greeted the backpedaling Retrievers’ defense. It led to a balanced scoring attack for No.18 Maryland women’s basketball in its 74-32 season-opening win on Monday.
With 10 newcomers this season, the Terps struggled to get going early. A justifiable acclimation period led to communication errors and a stretch of just three combined baskets in the opening six minutes.
“We had to work through some kinks, nerves,” Frese said. “That chemistry is going to take time … I have to be patient within that process.”
Frese didn’t have to wait long for the chemistry to click after halftime.
All 11 active players scored for Maryland.Three of its starters, Christina Dalce, Shyanne Sellers and Allie Kubek, notched double-digit points.
[No. 18 Maryland women’s basketball eases past UMBC in season opener, 74-32]
The scoring was more concentrated in last year’s season-opening win over Harvard. A 25-point outing from Sellers dominated the scoresheet against the Crimson, establishing the guard as Maryland’s primary scorer.
But the absence of one main, go-to scorer led to free and balanced offense across the rotation on Monday.
In the Terps’ half-court offensive sets, a collective focus on ball movement spaced the perimeter to effectively prevent clogging passing lanes. An emphasis was put on making extra passes and seeking out entry pass opportunities, Frese said.
Added movement freed Sellers to excel with efficient looks, illustrated through various ‘give and go’ play calls. The newfound off-ball freedom resulted in a plethora of easy and open second-half scores to follow.
“With this group, we have a lot of fun,” Sellers said. “They make life pretty easy.”
The Terps’ defense-to-offense sequences impressed throughout the later stages of the game. Maryland forced more opponent turnovers than any season-opener in the last five years.
[Maryland women’s basketball’s Isimenme Ozzy-Momodu, Breanna Williams to redshirt 2024-25]
Maryland’s full-court press defense was steady throughout. On-ball pressure led to Retriever mistakes, the Terps recorded 23 points off turnovers and 15 fast break points.
“It’s a really connected unit that is really unselfish, playing for each other,” Frese said. “They started chanting ‘defense’ in French because we have three players that speak French.”
Te-Biasu, one of those French-speaking players, sits at the forefront of Maryland’s new-look offense.
The graduate guard served as a catalyst for the team’s transition play, logging two steals while shooting 57 percent from the field. But she had the lowest usage of all five Maryland starters at 12.3 percent.
The luxury in allowing Te-Biasu, Sellers and others to thrive in its fast-paced offense — but not having to solely rely on them every possession could pay dividends for Maryland throughout the season.
“I think our depth is our biggest weapon this year,” Sellers said. “We can really kill you from anywhere … We’re just so versatile that I think we’re a mismatch nightmare, we have a lot of players that can slide to any position.”