No. 9 Maryland women’s basketball added an extra jolt to its lineup Thursday night. Kaylene Smikle made her season debut after missing the first three games.
Smikle led the Terps last season averaging 17.9 points per game, but was sidelined to start the season with nagging injuries. Her absence was notable, as Maryland lacked a primary scoring option.
Smikle’s 13 points boosted the Terps’ hot start as they zoomed past Towson, 88-70, at Xfinity Center.
“I’m someone who trusts the process. I’m not gonna rush back,” Smikle said. “I’ve had good coaches and teammates who’ve been giving me confidence on the side when I’m working out, just helping me just stay in the moment.”
Despite returning a key contributor, the Terps lost another. Lea Bartelme went down with an injury to her left knee and was carried off the court — she did not return. She will be evaluated over the coming days.
The Terps protected the rim at a high mark on Thursday, with six blocks in the first half. They were stifling in the paint and made every shot difficult from all places on the court. Isimenme Ozzy-Momodu had eight blocks and Saylor Poffenbarger had two as the Terps finished with Seven on the night.
“We’re just playing our defense,” Smikle said. “We practice every day with the same defense of just knowing how to guard and you want to be a great defensive team, so we buy into that creates blocks.”
The Terps entered the game shooting 50% from the field on the season, but struggled to attempt at a similar rate early on Thursday. Maryland had a surplus of shooting opportunities, but couldn’t make shots from point-blank.
Maryland had extremely strong defense early, allowing minimal space, but offensive struggles kept the Tigers competitive. Towson had some scoring opportunities in the first quarter, but Maryland quickly pulled away later in the first half.
India Johnston and Thalia Shepard were Towson’s outliers against Maryland’s relentless defense — they combined to score 43 of Towson’s 70 points on 17-of-25 shooting.
But Maryland’s offense course-corrected as Addi Mack took charge. The Terps got hot down the stretch in the first half, shooting 11-of-15 from the field in the second quarter and going on multiple runs to pull away.
The Terps led throughout the entire game, but that strong second quarter essentially eliminated the Tigers’ chances before entering the break. Maryland outscored Towson by 18 in the second frame, making all three of its 3-point attempts.
Yarden Garzon — who was a prolific 3-point shooter at Indiana —- had struggled to find her groove from range to open the year. She found it Thursday, shooting 50% both from the field and from deep.
Maryland continued its dominance on the boards. Its size simply outmatched Towson, recording 21 more rebounds. Oluchi Okananwa led the Terps with eight boards. She emphasized that rebounding was a part of her identity Sunday and proved it with another strong performance on the glass Thursday.
The Tigers got within 16 points in the second half, but the Terps were in complete control, eventually taking their foot off the gas. Towson outscored the Terps in both the third and fourth quarters.
“Our focus and our attention to detail could have been a lot better tonight,” head coach Brenda Frese said. “Thought we made a lot of uncharacteristic and kind of undisciplined plays.”
Nicole Fritea also knocked down her first shot of the season — she was the last Terp to have played this season to score her first career points. All 13 of Maryland’s players that saw the floor scored for the first time this season.
Three things to know
1. The Mack attack continues. Mack built off her breakout 23-point performance on Sunday, with 15 points and six assists against the Tigers. Mack took over most of the primary ball-handling duties after Bartelme went down and orchestrated the offense.
“Addi continued to give us a great production from a scoring end,” Frese said.
2. Williams was a standout big. Breanna Williams had the best performance of her young career off the bench, notching 10 points. The Terps have been figuring out how to play to their bigs — Williams had been a bit of an afterthought, but she showed out Thursday.
“I love that she’s posting hard for us inside,” Frese said. “She’s trying to give us that low post presence and being able to bang.”
3. Harper’s return. Towson head coach Laura Harper returned to coach against Maryland for the third time on Thursday. Harper’s No. 15 is honored in the Xfinity Center rafters as a member of the 2006 National Championship team — she was the 2006 NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player.
“Coming back into the Xfinity Center. It doesn’t get old. Like, [it’s] chills every time I see the red, black and gold,” Harper said.
Read the full article here
