Maryland women’s basketball guard Kaylene Smikle held the ball at her hip shortly into the second quarter, accelerating up court with multiple defenders in her path. Michigan State’s full-court press converged on Smikle just steps from the half court line, with a swarming double-team hunting for a deflection.

The junior searched for an escape plan, finding it on a crosscourt bullet pass to senior Shyanne Sellers. In a single fluid motion, the guard fired a behind-the-back, no-look pass that weaved through traffic — straight into the hands of a waiting Bri McDaniel for an easy layup.

After a turnover-riddled opening frame, the Terps eventually figured out the Spartans’ dynamic press defense. No. 8 Maryland closely topped No. 19 Michigan State, 72-66, to match its best start since the 2018-19 season.

Both teams played for the first time in over a week. That led to early offensive struggles, with a combined 2-for-14 shooting to start— a 14 percent clip and a rarity for two of the nation’s top scoring offenses.

Dynamic pressure defense attributed to much of the scoring absence, with 11 forced first-quarter turnovers. The Michigan State (11-2, 1-1 Big Ten) press led to a plethora of Maryland errors, blitzing its backcourt and speeding up pace of play as the Terps failed to generate high-quality looks.

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Maryland (12-0, 2-0 Big Ten) fell trap to three turnovers in as many minutes. It failed to make a basket in the first five minutes.

“They’re a team that turns you over a lot,” coach Brenda Frese said. “… The mistakes came on our own versus the press.”

Forward Allie Kubek, who notched 15 points off the bench in the Terps’ last outing, provided another much-needed spark on Sunday.

The graduate student started a near-flawless 11-second sequence after entering. She collected a block and defensive rebound before draining a straightaway 3-pointer for Maryland’s first made field goal.

“She brought great toughness on both ends of the floor,” Frese said. “I thought she was really, really aggressive … so huge for us.”

Kubek’s triple gave Maryland its first lead of the game — Sellers and Smikle extended it. Sellers accounted for each of the Terps’ next two buckets before assisting on a Smikle transition layup, capping a 6-0 scoring blitz. The pair helped Maryland grow a 20-11 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The Terps’ bench, primarily McDaniel, contributed prominently in the second quarter. The junior guard, who Frese tabbed as the team’s spark plug, surged with eight quick points in the frame to extend Maryland’s lead to a game-high 17 before the half.

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Michigan State’s attack came out of the break on fire, highlighted by timely offense from Theryn Hallock. The junior guard led all scorers with nine third-quarter points, spearheading a 9-2 Spartan run through the frame’s opening minutes.

A Hallock score cut the deficit to just four before Maryland surged ahead once more, finding a cushion with a pair of Smikle layups that put the Terps back up eight.

A Saylor Poffenbarger 3-pointer further halted the Spartans’ scoring run. Back-to-back paint scores from Kubek and Smikle extended a 7-0 run through just 51 seconds of play that put the Terps back up double-digits heading into the final period.

“Getting the momentum back on our side was really important for us,” Poffenbarger said. “That shot did that for us.”

But the lead didn’t last long.

A free-throw heavy 9-0 run and another Hallock triple tied the score at 57. Michigan State held the Terps scoreless through nearly five straight minutes, allowing just three attempted shots in the span.

“I wasn’t worried about us at all,” Sellers said. “Confidence can’t be shaken … I think we proved that tonight.”

Maryland’s offense slowly picked up its production in the final frame. With just under a minute remaining, Christina Dalce’s first and only score of the day added to the Terps’ 30 eventual paint points and extended their cushion to four. Just seconds later, another crucial play from the senior forward — this time a strip steal on Hallock — sealed the win to remain undefeated.