No. 10 Maryland women’s basketball demolished Point Park on Thursday in a seemingly unfair matchup.
From the very start, Maryland had its foot on the gas, applying pressure on both sides of the ball. The Terps dominated the Division II opponent, forcing 41 turnovers and 22 steals en route to victory, 120–35.
In the first, the Pioneers couldn’t find their rhythm, as the Terps took the ball off a miss or turnover at almost every position. Maryland initially struggled to sink shots, but second-chance points allowed it to build a sizeable lead.
Yarden Garzon led the way for Maryland as she finished the quarter with 12 points, going 3-of-5 from deep and helped get the Terps pull away — they would never look back.
The Terps carried this defensive pressure into the second as they only allowed seven more points. The nonstop pressure, alongside relentless offense gave Maryland a 49-point lead entering the half.
“If there was a loose ball, they were going to go get it,” head coach Brenda Frese said. “I love that it really starts with us on the defensive end.”
The second half was more of the same. Point Park only mustered nine more points and Maryland kept piling on. The lead reached as high as 65 in the third quarter.
At the start of the fourth quarter, Maryland experienced an injury scare. Freshman Rainey Welson made a layup through a foul, but landed awkwardly and had to be helped off the floor. Coach Frese said postgame that it was nothing serious.
Three Terps led the way in the dominant victory. Oluchi Okananwa led the Terps with 19 points, Ava McKennie was also solid with 16 points and five assists off the bench. Isimenme Ozzy-Momodu had a 16-point double-double in her first game at Xfinity Center in her two seasons as a Terp. Maryland had seven players finish with double-digit points.
“I thought this was a sensational event for us to be able to get back here and with the routine at home and what that feels like for the rhythm, especially with us starting on Monday,” Frese said.
The Terps will officially begin their season on Monday when they return to Xfinity Center to face Loyola Maryland.
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