Maryland women’s basketball crushes Kennesaw State, 89-35

Maryland women’s basketball had no trouble with Kennesaw State, taking down the Owls 89-35 in Miami on Friday.

Sophomore Blair Watson had another career day with 20 points and six three-pointers. The Terps had four players in double figures, and Brianna Fraser finished with 10 points and 12 rebounds for another double-double. Channise Lewis had an excellent game in her hometown, finishing with 10 points and eight assists.

Maryland was clearly the better team all afternoon, shooting 51 percent from the field compared to 23 percent for Kennesaw State. The Owls got nothing going offensively, committing 28 turnovers and shooting 3-of-16 on three-pointers. The Terps had another dominant effort on the boards as well, outrebounding Kennesaw State 50-29.

Kaila Charles hit a jumper with 9:43 in the first quarter to give Maryland a lead it wouldn’t relinquish for the rest of the afternoon. The Terps were imposing on the defensive end, holding the Owls without a basket for over seven minutes. Maryland went on a 15-0 run in that span to take a 19-2 lead, and led 22-8 at the end of the first quarter.

The Terps continued to extend their lead in the second quarter. They followed up their 15-0 first quarter run with a 17-0 run to take a 47-13 lead. Caroline Dan hit two free throws with one second left to end the run and cut the lead to 47-15. Kennesaw State didn’t have a field goal for nearly seven minutes to end the half, its last one coming on a Lexi Mann layup with 6:59 to go in the second quarter.

Maryland came out hot from long range to start the third quarter, hitting four threes in the opening five minutes. The Terps didn’t go on a big run like they did in the first and second quarter, but still led by as much as 43 in the third. Carlotta Gianolla’s layup with 5:32 to go was the Owls’ first field goal in over 11 minutes.

The lead grew to 52 in the final frame, and A’ja Ellison scored her first basket of the season with 2:50 to go.

Three things to know

1. Maryland dominated again. Howard and Kennesaw State aren’t on Maryland’s level, but it’s good to see the Terps taking care of teams from the opening tip, which didn’t happen until this week.
2. Another leading scorer shut down. Maryland quieted Howard’s leading scorer on Tuesday and did the same to Kennesaw State’s leading scorer today. Kamiyah Street came into today’s contest averaging 16.8 points per game, but was held to just two points on 1-for-15 shooting.
3. Time for a step-up in competition. After two super easy wins, Maryland takes on Miami in the Hurricanes’ backyard. Miami is not as good as it was last year, but will still be another non-conference challenge for the Terps. Tipoff is scheduled for noon on Sunday.