Maryland women’s basketball vs. Niagara final score, with 3 things to know from the Terps’ 96-64 win

Maryland women’s basketball easily won its first road game of the season and improved to 4-0 with a 96-64 victory at Niagara on Sunday.

After struggling early on Friday against Mount St. Mary’s, the Terps put this game out of reach in the first half. They had a 26-point lead by halftime and were able to enter cruise control from there.

Freshman point guard Destiny Slocum led the way with 25 points—including 16 in the second quarter—and seven assists. She shot 8-of-14 from the floor and 5-of-10 from three.

Brionna Jones and Shatori Walker-Kimbrough added 16 points apiece. The seniors shot a combined 12-of-16 from the floor. 11 Terps scored in the game, although only three reached double figures.

The Terps didn’t exactly dominate on the glass, only outrebounding Niagara 40-30. To make up for it, Maryland made 53.7 percent of its field goal attempts and won the turnover battle 18-11.

Maryland scored the game’s first eight points and took a 27-17 lead in the opening quarter. The Terps extended the margin in the second period, as Slocum scored 16 of the team’s 31 second-quarter points. At the half, she had 22, and Maryland’s lead was 58-32.

As per usual, Brenda Frese played her reserves for most of the second half. The Purple Eagles played pretty evenly with the Terps’ bench; Maryland outscored Niagara by just two points in the second half. But even though Maryland scored only 38 points in the second half and failed to reach the century mark for the first time all season, this game was never in doubt.

Three things to know

1. Destiny Slocum had her breakout game. The freshman had the best performance of her young career. Slocum’s 25 points are the most by a Terp this regular season, and there’s reason to believe she has a lot more of these games in her.

2. Brionna Jones was crazy efficient. In only 11 minutes, the senior scored 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting. She picked up two fouls in the first quarter, but made the most of her time back on the floor, recording nine of her points in the second half.

3. It gets way tougher now. After four games against opponents from the annals of Division I, Maryland’s competition will surge at the South Point Shootout in Las Vegas. The Terps face No. 18 Arizona State on Friday and Washington State on Saturday. After the Thanksgiving break, Maryland visits No. 5 Louisville. The tune-up games, for the meantime, are over.