Jordyn Lipkin, who scored just 49 seconds into the game, was left unmarked for Maryland women’s lacrosse’s first second-half goal. Kate Sites scored less than a minute later. Kayla Gilmore followed 39 seconds after.

Denver momentarily halted the spurt. Then, the Terps struck four more times — including a hat trick from Kori Edmondson — by the end of the period.

No. 9 Maryland’s dominant third quarter overcame a halftime deficit to defeat the Pioneers, 14-10, on Saturday at the Field Hockey and Lacrosse Complex. The flurry helped the Terps survive a sluggish final frame in which they allowed three straight goals at the start.

“Really proud of how our team reset at halftime because that could have gone a totally different way,” coach Cathy Reese said. “If we came out in the third quarter and played the way we did the second … we would have put ourselves in a really tough spot.”

The Terps (3-1) entered the second half off one of their worst periods of the season. They lost every second-quarter draw, resulting in minimal possession and a lot of pressure on their defensive unit.

Maryland significantly struggled to keep Denver (3-3) outside the eight-meter arc, allowing four unassisted goals in the frame to push the Pioneers ahead 6-5 at the break. All of their goals came on free-position chances.

[Young duo guides Maryland women’s lacrosse on draw controls]

When the Terps’ offense did manage to secure possessions, they suffered five turnovers. Three of the miscues came from Edmondson.

“[Reese’s halftime speech] had a lot of emotion to it and it pumped me up just to get my head out of my rear end,” Edmondson said. “I was just so focused on myself and the mistakes that I made and was just dwelling on them … so just being able to listen to that and then know, it’s 0-0, to start a new half.”

The junior midfielder notably improved in the third quarter. Her first goal of the frame, off a deflected pass that bounced right to her that featured a weave around three defenders, gave Maryland a 9-7 advantage.

Edmondson added two more scores for a 12-7 lead entering the final frame. Edmondson finished the game with four goals and two assists.

Maryland’s third-quarter success was also largely because of the play of attacker Hailey Russo. The senior replaced Gilmore in the draw circle to start the half after Gilmore failed to win a single draw in the second frame. She won eight of nine draws and forced the Pioneers to rotate draw specialists throughout the quarter.

“We had a hard time in the second quarter matching their draws,” Reese said. “We just didn’t have the ball very much in the second quarter.”

After Denver started the final frame hot, the Terps settled to remain ahead. Maryland used its freshmen — who have been needed this season after they lost three of their top five point scores from last year — to power a hot start to the game.

[Maryland women’s lacrosse’s offense fixed turnover issues against Saint Joseph’s]

After each team tallied a goal within the game’s first minute, the Terps secured the next three draw controls. Midfielders Devin Livingston and Gilmore, and attacker Shelby Sullivan each converted on the chances with scores.

Like in its last game against Saint Joseph’s, Maryland used cuts early in possessions. Both Livingston and Gilmore’s goals came off that.

Livingston took an Edmondson pass and quickly drove toward the eight-meter arc to muscle a shot past senior goalkeeper Emelia Bohi for a 3-1 lead just over seven minutes in. Gilmore ripped an unmarked goal off a Chrissy Thomas assist less than five minutes later.

Thomas scored twice herself before the game’s end, including the goal that halted Denver’s fourth-quarter run, in another all-around performance this season.

The win concluded Maryland’s four-game homestand to start the season, winning its final three to enter a two-game road trip with a flurry of strong wins.