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Maryland women’s basketball improved to 2-0 with a 106-61 win over Maryland Eastern Shore on Wednesday in College Park.
Unlike the 76-point drubbing the Terps dished out last December, this contest resembled a real basketball game. Maryland didn’t unleash its press defense to nearly the same extent, which resulted in fewer forced turnovers and fewer easy buckets.
The Terps weren’t exactly in prime form, committing 16 fouls as a team and losing the turnover battle, 15-11. But it was clear that any combination of Maryland players would be the better squad, as even full-bench units owned the floor late in the game.
Seniors Shatori Walker-Kimbrough and Brionna Jones dominated the game, which is a familiar story for Terps fans. Walker-Kimbrough recorded a game-high 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting, while Jones added 17 points and eight rebounds. Neither senior played extensive minutes in the second half.
Maryland Eastern Shore started 3-of-4 from three, which kept the game within shouting distance early on. It was 20-13 with 2:40 left in the first quarter, but the Terps finished the frame on a 12-4 run. They took a 54-29 lead into the half. Walker-Kimbrough and Jones led the way in the first half with 16 and 13 points, respectively.
The Hawks played Maryland pretty even in the third quarter, but couldn’t slash into their deficit. The margin remained roughly in the 20s for most of the frame, with Kaila Charles’ buzzer-beating jumper making it 80-50 entering the fourth. The Terps cruised in the fourth, and that was all she wrote.
Three things to know
1. The two seniors still run the show. We’ve spent a good amount of energy hyping up the freshmen, and it certainly wasn’t unjustified. But Jones and Walker-Kimbrough are the reason this team earned so much preseason hype, and the veterans lived up to it on Wednesday.
2. The rebounding advantage was still there. Maryland easily won the battle on the glass, out-rebounding the Hawks 61-25. Jenna Staiti finished with 14 boards in just 10 minutes off the bench.
3. Maryland can still shoot from deep. The Terps were 7-of-17 from long range in the game, with 10 of those attempts coming in the first half. Walker-Kimbrough was 4-of-5 from beyond the arc.