Bri McDaniel started her move on the right wing. The junior accelerated into the paint, with Duke’s Emma Koabel matching step for step. McDaniel searched for room to operate, maneuvering through the Blue Devils’ defense with a crafty up and under.
Koabel finally jumped on a pump fake. McDaniel missed her first layup before snatching the rebound and finding back iron on a second-chance try.
Maryland women’s basketball dominated throughout the highly anticipated ranked matchup. The No. 18 Terps’ blistering offense created an early lead that it never wavered, taking down No. 11 Duke, 85-80.
The last time the two teams faced off more than nine years ago, Maryland recorded just 11 total second chance points. The Terps notched 13 in the first half alone Sunday.
Maryland led for the entirety of the 2024 rematch. Kaylene Smikle led with a game-high 23 points, followed by Shyanne Sellers with 17 and McDaniel with 15. Christina Dalce added 12 and a game-high 14 rebounds.
An early Maryland turnover gave Duke the momentum in transition. Jadyn Donovan charged the length of the court, before a Christina Dalce chase-down block swatted Donovan’s shot attempt out of bounds.
[Maryland, Duke women’s basketball to reignite ACC rivalry]
Maryland capitalized on the defensive end early. Fueled by Dalce’s rejection, the Terps held the Blue Devils scoreless for the opening three and a half minutes. Duke failed to convert on its first five attempted field goals.
The Terps forced five turnovers through the first 10 minutes — the most the Blue Devils have given up in any first quarter this season. Two of those came in a nightmarish 30-second span for Duke.
First, a mistimed crosscourt pass by Vanessa De Jesus sailed out of bounds. 30 seconds later, the Blue Devils traveled.
“It was a big X-factor, that we really made them have to work,” coach Brenda Frese said. “They weren’t getting a lot of their offense until 15, 20 seconds on the shot clock.”
A pair of back-to-back jumpers from Shyanne Sellers provided the first scores in a Terps-heavy first quarter. Five more quick points from Kaylene Smikle capped a 9-0 scoring run to open.
But Duke surged back just minutes later.
The Blue Devils increased defensive pressure created trouble for the Terps’ backcourt to start the second quarter. A trio of forced turnovers led to a plethora of Duke transition buckets.
The Blue Devils leaked out for 13 points off turnovers in the first half. A three-minute 13-5 Duke scoring run resulted, as a Toby Fournier free throw cut the road deficit to just three.
Maryland was held without a single made field goal for the following three minutes. Then, its offensive masterclass resumed to end the second quarter.
[Kaylene Smikle dominates in Maryland women’s basketball’s 70-47 win over Coppin State]
Back-to-back Dalce rebounds — who logged nine in the first half alone — created second-effort chances for Maryland’s offense.
“[We’re] an elite level rebounding team,” Frese said. “As we’re continuing to find our identity … to beat them on the glass tonight is big. It’s got to be someone when you’re missing shots, that you’re able to clean those up with extra opportunities.”
Second-chance scores made up their next four straight points, leading a 6-0 run to close out the first half. A McDaniel jumper provided Maryland with an 11-point lead before halftime — its then-largest of the game.
Duke’s Delaney Thomas corralled an entry pass to start the third quarter. In one fluid motion, the sophomore forward pivoted to face the basket before firing a corner pass to Reigan Richardson.
Richardson nailed a contested 3-pointer to begin the half for Duke. Once more, the Blue Devils proceeded to claw their way back.
A pair of buckets from Fournier and Okananwa — spurred by more fast break sequences — brought the score to within single digits midway through the period.
But Maryland pulled ahead yet again to close the third quarter — this time for good.
Dalce and McDaniel controlled pace offensively, combining for 14 of the team’s 25 total points in the period.
Another Smikle bucket provided the junior guard with more than 20 points for the second straight game. The fourth-quarter score extended Maryland’s lead to 13, effectively sealing the impressive home victory.
“[Smikle’s] just a competitor and a winner, and clearly just an elite three-level scorer,” Frese said. “I love that. She doesn’t fear the moment, really an aggressive attack mentality … [that] was a game of a lot of adversity, and that response is going to bode really well for us.”
