Playing their second game in as many days, the Maryland Terrapins women’s basketball team methodically dismantled the visiting Hartford Hawks in the championship game of the Terrapin Classic cruising to a comfortable 72-40 victory. The Terps took a 3-0 lead on a three point shot from an unlikely source – 6’4” center Alicia DeVaughn. The visitors scored next to cut the lead to 3-2 but this is as close as they would come. Unlike yesterday’s win over Brown where Maryland put together several long scoring runs, the Terps just slowly and steadily pulled away from the Hawks – leading by 4 at the first media timeout, 10 at the second, and 15 at the under 4 minute break before taking a 17 point lead into halftime. Maryland shot 59% for the half while holding Hartford to 32 percent.

Maryland started the second half with a mini-run scoring the first ten points to stretch the lead to fifty-one to twenty-four. Although their defensive intensity never wavered, the Terps hit a bit of a lull on the offensive end missing six of their next seven shots to allow the Hawks to close the gap to nineteen. A steal by Alyssa Thomas that led to a DeVaughn lay up sparked an answering 8-0 run by the Terrapins to push the lead back to twenty-seven. By game’s end, Hartford managed only sixteen second half points against a rugged Maryland defense that held them to 6 for 28 shooting as the Terps coasted to an easy win.

The stars of the game were Alyssa Thomas who led Maryland in scoring with 22 points while grabbing 11 rebounds to notch her sixth double-double of the season and Alicia DeVaughn who also had a double-double scoring thirteen points and pulling down a game high 13 boards. Tianna Hawkins fell one rebound shy of another double-double scoring 16 points. Freshman Tierney Pfirman joined her teammates in double figures with 11 points while capturing a career best 8 rebounds. Freshman center Malina Howard came off the bench to add eight points and three assists while the Terps’ third freshman, Chloe Pavlech continued her solid play managing the game well while picking up 6 assists to only one turnover. For t he season, Pavlech has a nearly 2-1 assist to turnover ratio. As one would expect, the Terrapins easily out rebounded the smaller Hawks winning the battle of the boards 50-28 maintaining their status as one of the best rebounding teams in the country.

Things get serious now for Maryland as they move into ACC play opening with a game Thursday night at the always dangerous 16th ranked North Carolina Tar Heels before returning home to take on Florida State in their ACC home opener.