Purdue’s Rashunda Jones dribbled the ball at the top of the key late in the first half. The guard drove into the paint, blowing past No. 7 Maryland women’s basketball’s Kaylene Smikle to finish at the rim through contact.
The Boilermakers’ sophomore scored 13 points in the opening half, contributing to the Terps’ nine-point halftime deficit. Maryland couldn’t find a way to prevent Jones from scoring, entering the break behind for the first time this season.
Guard Bri McDaniel was tasked with defending Jones in the second half. The junior excelled in that role, limiting her to just four second-half points as the Terps earned a 78-69 comeback win to open Big Ten play.
“I thought Bri set the tone for us in that third quarter defensively,” coach Brenda Frese said. “We had no answer for Rashunda, and I thought she did a much better job at defending her.”
Jones set the pace for Purdue’s offense in the first half. She went 6-for-7 on field goals as the Boilermakers shot almost 52 percent from the floor — making 16 shots and five 3-pointers as a team.
[No. 7 Maryland women’s basketball comes back to top Purdue, 78-69, in Big Ten opener]
But Jones only scored four points in the second half, all in the third quarter. McDaniel’s high pressure made it difficult for Purdue’s guard to create the open looks she had in the first two periods.
McDaniel was isolated with Jones late in the third quarter, with the Terps only up three. Jones held the ball beyond the 3-point arc and waited for Purdue forward Kendall Puryear to set a ball screen to her right.
As Puryear moved to set the play, McDaniel forced Jones to the left and away from Puryear.
Jones decided to dribble into the paint. McDaniel was momentarily beaten, but never stopped in pursuit of making the defensive play, striking in Jones’ hand as she neared the basket to force a misplaced pass.
“She was good. She was getting off those screens, just attacking to the basket,” McDaniel said. “[I was] just trying to be aggressive with her. Make her not use the screens, make her take tough shots.”
McDaniel halted Jones again late in the final quarter to force another turnover. As Jones used Puryear for a screen, McDaniel and senior forward Christina Dalce converged on the Purdue ball handler. McDaniel evaded Puryear and stayed right with Jones, forcing her to dribble the ball off of her leg for another turnover.
[Brenda Frese’s lineup change gave Maryland women’s basketball a new look]
Jones only attempted four shots in the second half and committed three turnovers after playing through the first two quarters without giving the ball away.
Maryland’s first conference win of the season was earned through improved defensive play late in the contest, an effort that McDaniel keyed. The Terps forced nine turnovers in the final 20 minutes and halted the Boilermakers’ leading scorer.
The Terps have been tested in recent games. They trailed in an eventual 10-point win over George Mason and in their win at Purdue on Saturday. Maryland’s defense has made key stops to remain undefeated.
McDaniel can lead the defense when she comes off of the bench. The rest of the lineup needs to do the same with a slew of ranked conference opponents on the schedule.
“Having Bri on the floor, she’s our best defender,” Frese said. “She was so disciplined and stayed out of foul trouble, and we’ve got to be able to start really putting our focus on [the defensive] end as well.”
