ANNAPOLIS, Maryland — Maryland women’s basketball was in an unfamiliar situation. The Terps entered the fourth quarter trailing for the first time all season after their double-digit lead evaporated.
Kaylene Smikle pressured George Mason guard Kennedy Harris just above the 3-point line. The Maryland guard got a steal and started dribbling toward the basket with two Patriots’ players trailing. Smikle put up a shot through contact and watched it fall through the net. She hit the free throw to complete the three point play.
Smikle’s 11 fourth-quarter points propelled the No. 10 Terps past George Mason, 66-56, in Day 1 of the Navy Classic on Saturday.
Smikle led all Maryland scorers with 16 points. In her first game not reaching the 20-point mark since the season opener, her ability to score quickly in the final frame led the Terps to a win.
“I was just out there playing basketball, I really wasn’t overthinking it,” Smikle said.
Maryland (7-0) hadn’t trailed after the opening quarter all season. Stout defense against George Mason (6-1) kept that streak alive.
The Terps forced five turnovers in the first 10 minutes and scored six points off of those Patriot giveaways. George Mason made just three field goals, two coming from 3-point range, and posted eight points in the first frame.
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Maryland grew its lead through a lengthy scoring run, similar to the one it put together against Syracuse Nov. 13. The Terps scored 12 unanswered points from five different scorers. Guards Saylor Poffenbarger and Shyanne Sellers each drained 3-pointers to spur the scoring streak.
But Maryland found itself in foul trouble. Christina Dalce and Bri McDaniel were whistled for two infractions each in the first quarter. George Mason racked up a plethora of rebounds while they sat on the bench in the second quarter.
The Patriots grabbed 14 offensive boards, four more than the Terps in the first half, and recorded nine second chance points. Maryland’s inability to corral rebounds allowed George Mason to keep pace.
Eight points in the second quarter scored by guard Mir McLean kept Maryland’s lead at 10 at halftime, 37-27.
“I just thought she was so aggressive,” coach Brenda Frese said. “She’s really coming along, and you got to be able to have that spark coming off of the bench.”
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Rebounding struggles continued for the Terps in the third quarter. The Patriots collected seven offensive boards in the first three minutes of the second half. Eight second chance points contributed to a 12-4 run, cutting Maryland’s 10-point lead to three.
The Terps’ scoring drought of over six minutes in the third quarter allowed George Mason to take its first lead of the game as Harris hit a 3-pointer. Maryland trailed after the third quarter, 45-44, and entered the final frame behind for the first time this season.
“They came out [of halftime] and punched first,” Frese said.
The Terps went to the paint early and often in the fourth quarter. They outscored George Mason 22-to-11 in the final period — Sellers scored six and Dalce added four points to Smikle’s 11 to rescue a Maryland victory.
The Terps’ presence down low was vital in the comeback win. Maryland recorded 40 points in the paint, with 16 in the final frame, to pull away from the Patriots.
“You don’t need games where you win by 70. They don’t really show you what you need to work on,” Frese said. “We had a lot of foul trouble and adversity, and we had to fight through … to be able to come out on top against a really good team is important.”
