Maryland women’s basketball vs. Howard preview

Maryland women’s basketball returns to the court Tuesday when it takes on Howard in College Park.

The Terps are coming off a difficult road trip to Hartford, where they got steamrolled by No. 1 Connecticut, 97-72. The Terps tied the game at 7 early in the first quarter, but the Huskies dominated after that, going on a 25-4 run to end the first quarter to put the game out of reach.

Kaila Charles feasted in the fourth quarter again, scoring 15 of her game-high 29 points in the final frame. Ieshia Small and Brianna Fraser also came off the bench and scored in double figures, contributing 12 and 11, respectively.

Howard comes into this game 0-3, losing games to William and Mary, Georgetown and Vermont to start the season. Maryland hasn’t played Howard since 2009, when the Terps defeated the Bison 79-51 at home.

Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on BTN. This is the last home game for Maryland until Dec. 6, when it hosts Mount St. Mary’s.

Howard Bison (0-3)

2016-17 record: 16-13, 12-4 MEAC

Head coach Ty Grace is 27-40 in her three seasons at Howard. Before that, she was a head coach at Division II New Heaven from 2013-15, and at Ramapo College of New Jersey from 2004-06. In between her two previous head coaching stints, she spent time as an assistant coach at Seton Hall and Army.

Players to know

Curstyn Moore, freshman, guard/forward, 5’10, No. 12. The Mount Vernon, New York, native has burst on the scene at Howard, averaging a team-high 14 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. The Bison needed someone to pick up the slack offensively after losing MEAC Player of the Year Te’Shya Heslip and All-MEAC selection Sydni Johnson, and Moore has filled that role so far.

Tariah Johnson, freshman, guard, 5’8, No. 22. Johnson has been a spark off the bench for Howard, averaging 8.3 points in just 18.3 minutes a game. She scored in double-digits for the first time in her college career on Friday against Vermont, finishing with 11 points.

Sarah Edmond, sophomore, guard, 5’9, No. 5. Edmond is on the court often, playing a team-high 32 minutes a game while averaging 7.7 points and 3.3 assists. She was an All-MEAC Rookie Team selection last season.

Strength

Getting to the foul line. The Bison have gotten to the foul line 83 times in their first three games. However, they’ve shot a putrid 50.6 percent from the charity stripe this year, so their prowess drawing fouls isn’t as big an advantage as it should be. This could help Howard compete for longer than expected, as it doesn’t take a lot to get Maryland into foul trouble.

Weakness

Turnovers. Howard averages 25.3 turnovers per game, which is 342nd in Division I. Maryland has forced over 21 turnovers a game so far this season, and a young and undersized team like the Bison could have a lot of trouble with the Terps’ size and length on the perimeter.

Prediction

Maryland wins, 96-59.