Maryland women’s basketball vs. Iowa final score, with 3 things to know from the Terps’ 98-82 win

Maryland women’s basketball shook off a second-quarter slump to beat Iowa 98-82 on the road Saturday.

The No. 3 Terps trailed by four points at halftime, but rallied to win the second half 55-35. Shatori Walker-Kimbrough, who came off the bench for the first time since 2014, scored 20 second-half points and had 22 in the game.

Brionna Jones followed her 42-point explosion from Wednesday with 25 points and 10 rebounds, her eighth consecutive double-double. The Terps had five double-figure scorers overall, with Destiny Slocum (12), Brianna Fraser (11) and Ieshia Small (10) also reaching the mark.

Iowa point guard Tania Davis set a new career high with 25 points, aided by 4-of-8 shooting from deep. Ally Disterhoft and Megan Gustafson added 18 and 14, respectively. The Hawkeyes, who start four underclassmen alongside senior Disterhoft, looked impressive before Maryland turned it on.

Maryland forced 16 Iowa turnovers and turned them into 27 points. The Terps, who have struggled with giveaways at times this season, only had 12 Saturday and five in the second half.

After Davis scored on the game’s first possession, the Terps responded with an 11-0 run. Maryland shot 12-of-19 (63 percent) in the opening quarter to take a 27-16 lead. Brianna Fraser subbed in halfway through the period and led the Terps with seven points through one.

The tables turned 180 degrees in the second quarter, where Maryland was just 7-of-22. The Hawkeyes stormed back into the lead, turning 31-18 into 38-34 on a run keyed by five three-pointers.

Maryland tied the game back up at 40, but the defensive lapses continued and Iowa took a 47-43 lead into halftime. The Hawkeyes won the second quarter 31-16; they shot 63 percent from the floor and 56 percent from downtown in the frame. Davis’ 16 points led all scorers at the half.

The Terps evidently gathered themselves during the break and came out with more energy in the second half. They reclaimed the lead at 54-53 on an Ieshia Small steal and layup, which was part of a 13-0 burst that brought the advantage to 61-53. Iowa narrowed the margin to four with back-to-back layups, but a 10-2 Maryland run gave them a 12-point lead entering the fourth.

Maryland kept the foot on the gas in the fourth, stretching the lead all the way to 20 at one point. Unlike Wednesday against Penn State, there was no stress at the end of this one.

The Terps improve to 5-0 in the Big Ten and 17-1 overall. They will return home Thursday against Michigan.

Three things to know

1. Ieshia Small started over Shatori Walker-Kimbrough. It’s the first shake-up in the Maryland starting lineup this season and Walker-Kimbrough’s first time coming off the bench since her freshman season. The BTN announcers said Brenda Frese made the switch simply to reward Small for playing well in recent games. Walker-Kimbrough checked in after just three minutes and was dominant in the second half, so this was probably more about symbolism than anything.

2. Maryland looked out of sorts for the entire second quarter. The Terps weren’t quite themselves for a solid nine minutes. They were firing up airballs, missing defensive assignments and giving up second-chance points. The halftime break couldn’t have come at a better time; they came out looking like a different team on the other side.

3. Brenda Frese’s homecoming wasn’t spoiled. Frese is from Cedar Rapids, so her parents, extended family and friends from childhood were able to see her team play. Maryland beat the Hawkeyes by 20 points in Iowa City last year.