NEWARK, NEW JERSEY — Maryland women’s basketball entered its toughest stretch of the season with three ranked matchups in a single week. Its first of the trio of games was the worst performance by the Terps all year.
They committed 27 turnovers while posting its season-low points tally. Only guard Kaylene Smikle notched a double-digit point tally as they suffered their second loss of the campaign.
No. 8 Maryland fell to No. 7 Texas, 89-51, at the Prudential Center on Monday. The Terps have lost both of their games against top-10 opponents this season.
Maryland’s (16-2) offense was stagnant throughout the first two quarters. Turnovers played a vital role in the Terps’ lowest first-half point tally of the year.
Maryland’s first quarter consisted of six turnovers and often getting outrebounded on the offensive glass. Texas (18-2) scored 12 points off of Terps’ giveaways and netted four second chance points.
[Shyanne Sellers’ brilliance lifts No. 8 Maryland women’s basketball over No. 24 Minnesota, 99-92]
Similar miscues continued into the second quarter as Maryland didn’t score for the first three minutes. It turned over possession eight more times amid a six-point period. All seven Terps who played in the first half recorded at least one turnover, with five players registering two or more. Texas recorded 33 points off of turnovers.
Guards Shyanne Sellers and Kaylene Smikle combined for only three points as no Terp accounted for more than seven points, which was forward Christina Dalce as their clear efficient option.
Sellers picked up an injury in the second quarter and only played four minutes, and did not return in the contest. They’ve already lost guard Bri McDaniel to a season-ending ACL tear.
Maryland’s early zone defense did little to halt the Longhorns’ offense, who jetted out to a 28-12 lead after one after an efficient first period. Texas shot 52 percent from the floor and posted the most points scored against Maryland in the opening quarter this season.
Texas forward Madison Booker routinely found space on the baseline just outside the paint. Booker, who averaged 15.2 points an outing entering the contest, scored 13 of her final tally in the opening frame. The sophomore finished with a season-high 28 points on a productive 13-for-19 shooting display.
[Bri McDaniel helps No. 8 Maryland women’s basketball fend off Wisconsin, 83-68]
The Terps couldn’t stop the Longhorns, or Booker, in the second quarter from scoring. The forward added seven more to hit 20 points as Texas outscored Maryland 20-6 in the frame. The Terps entered halftime with their largest deficit of the season, 48-18.
The Longhorns’ ability to get rebounds was critical to their offensive success against Maryland. Texas, who averages 41.5 boards a game, was able to assert its dominance on the glass against the Terps. The Longhorns grabbed six more rebounds, leading to 18 second chance points. Maryland only had nine.
The Terps were outrebounded for just the third time this season. They were also outscored by Texas in all four quarters.
Smikle was the lone positive in the second half for Maryland. The guard led the Terps with 13 points after halftime, keeping her streak of 17-straight games with more than 10 points intact. She ended with 15.
But the Longhorns continued to score. Four Texas players eclipsed 10 or more points, with Booker leading all scorers in the contest.
Maryland ends its week with a pair of top-15 games in conference play, starting Thursday at No. 12 Ohio State. No. 1 UCLA visits College Park on Sunday with the Terps in need of victories to stay at the top of the Big Ten.
