Maryland women’s basketball vs. Iowa preview: Terps go for season sweep over Hawkeyes

Maryland women’s basketball looks to keep its undefeated Big Ten season going Sunday when the No. 3 Terps take on Iowa at Xfinity Center.

Brenda Frese’s team comes off its most dominant conference win yet, a 45-point drubbing of Illinois. Every Terrapin scored at least five points, while nobody played more than 22 minutes. Maryland led by double digits for virtually the entire game, and never let up.

When the Terps played at Iowa on Jan. 14, they saw a 27-16 first-quarter lead turn into a 47-43 halftime deficit before righting the ship in the second half and winning by 16. Brionna Jones tallied 25 points and 10 rebounds in the victory, while Shatori Walker-Kimbrough scored 20 of her 22 in the second half.

In the two weeks since that game, the Terps have won all three of their games, while the Hawkeyes have recorded wins over Rutgers and Minnesota. Iowa’s last game was on Jan. 21, so the team has had time to prepare for this rematch.

Sunday’s game tips off at 2 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

Iowa Hawkeyes (13-7, 4-3 Big Ten)

2015-16 record: 19-14, 8-10

Head coach: Lisa Bluder has a 336-195 record in 17 seasons, good for the most wins in school history.

Players to know

Megan Gustafson, sophomore, forward, 6’3, No. 10. One of the Big Ten’s best post players this season, averaging 17.6 points and 9.8 rebounds per game. She had 14 points and seven boards in the teams’ first meeting.

Ally Disterhoft, senior, guard, 6’0, No. 2. The veteran fills up stat sheets, averaging 15.9 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists. She didn’t have her best outing against the Terps last time, but still finished with 18 points thanks to a 7-for-8 showing at the foul line.

Tania Davis, sophomore, guard, 5’3, No. 11. Davis led the Hawkeyes with a career-high 25 points in the first meeting and is averaging 10.8 points this season. She also leads her team with 4.2 assists per game.

Strength

Offensive efficiency. The Hawkeyes shoot 47.7 percent from the field as a team. That’s good for eighth in the country. Five of the seven teams ahead of them are ranked in the top 10, including Maryland at 50.5 percent. (Indiana and Drake are also on that list, and it’s worth noting that Drake did beat Iowa in December.)

Weakness

Turnovers. Iowa averages nearly 17 turnovers per game, and the team’s minus-1.9 turnover margin is fourth-worst in the Big Ten. The Hawkeyes lost the turnover battle 16-12 in their first matchup against Maryland.

Prediction

Maryland wins, 88-72.