No. 8 Maryland women’s basketball walked into a sold out Carver-Hawkeye Arena and made a statement against No. 23 Iowa. It led by 25 points less than a minute before halftime.

But the Terps had to survive a fighting comeback effort after a big first-half lead in order to take a 74-66 win over the Hawkeyes, whose 20-game home win streak dating back to last season ended Sunday.

“Really impressed with this group’s poise and composure,” head coach Brenda Frese said. “This group just found different ways to win. I loved our first half. We knew Iowa was going to come back in that second half.”

After Iowa scored first, Maryland went on a 13-0 run and didn’t let up from there, beginning the contest 5-of-7 from 3-point range.

But as great as a start Maryland put together, momentum flipped in the latter end of the first quarter. Iowa inserted a freshman-heavy lineup and went on a 7-0 run that cut Maryland’s lead to seven points after the first quarter. The Terps led by as much as 14 points in the frame, but kept missing shots despite an abundance of offensive rebounds. Five of Christina Dalce’s six rebounds in the first 10 minutes were on the offensive end.

Maryland was dominant to start the second quarter, putting together an 18-1 run to extend its lead to 24 points. The Terps outmatched Iowa on the boards, forced turnovers at will and moved the ball fluidly.

The Terps headed to the break up by 21 points after a small Iowa push, but the Terps made a statement in their biggest road test to this point.

Maryland was 9-of-17 from deep in the first half. It hadn’t converted more than 11 3-pointers in any of its previous 13 games.

Shyanne Sellers and Kaylene Smikle both scored 14 points in the first half, and Maryland’s defense did a masterful job containing Iowa. No Hawkeye scored more than four points except Lucy Olsen with 11.

Iowa came out of the half with some life. After Saylor Poffenbarger started the period with a triple, the Hawkeyes went on a 12-0 run and the crowd erupted.

“I think Iowa came out with punches [in the] second half,” Smikle said. “But we know how to play through that. We aren’t going to crumble from teams going on runs, because that’s just how basketball is.”

The Terps were held scoreless for more than four minutes before Smikle went 1-of-2 from the charity stripe. Maryland made its first field goal of the half before missing its next seven — a Bri McDaniel fadeaway jumper ended the shooting drought.

The Terps held Hannah Stuelke, who entered the game averaging 13.6 point per game, to one point through three quarters, and she was in foul trouble with four fouls.

After scoring 48 in the first half, the Terps only scored 11 points in the third period. Although they still led by 16 points, Iowa stole some of the momentum.

The Hawkeyes started the fourth on a 5-0 run to cut Maryland’s lead to 11, but a steal and finish by Smikle silenced the Iowa crowd.

The Hawkeyes brought the deficit to single-digits, as their comeback effort was in full force. It became a two-possession game halfway through the fourth quarter, and the Terps were in severe danger, succumbing to poor shot selection.

The Terps made a few clutch shots down the stretch and connected when necessary, but a late Iowa run cut the deficit to five points with 44 seconds remaining.

Once again, the Terps came through when they needed to, making free throws and playing strong defense to hold on to the win.

Three things to know

1. Big Ten road win. Maryland survived its toughest road test thus far Sunday, improving to 14-0 on the season. It could easily serve as the most difficult road environment the Terps will see all season, and they held strong.

“This is a tough place to play, and I think we played really hard and we pulled it out,” Sellers said.

2. Smikle shows off. Smikle scored a season-high 26 points Sunday. She went 4-of-5 from three, 8-of-17 from the field and 6-of-8 from the free-throw line.

3. Less turnovers, but less rebounds. For the first time this season, Maryland was out-rebounded, 44-41, after a big second half on the boards for Iowa. Maryland won the turnover margin, though, with 15 steals and 22 forced turnovers.

Get your grocery store trips and other errands finished today, because when you wake up Monday, everything will be blanketed in snow.

For days forecasters have been eyeing a weather system to Maryland’s west with the potential to bring widespread, heavy snow to the region. Well, it seems to be happening.

The National Weather Service has placed the entire state under a winter storm warning — most of the Baltimore metro is forecast to see anywhere from 4-10 inches of snow.

Snow totals will depend on the storm’s track, Cody Ledbetter, a meteorologist with the local NWS office, said.

“If it shifts north or south it could be significantly different,” Ledbetter said, adding that snowfall of some kind is guaranteed across the region.

Snowfall should start between 10 p.m. and midnight in the Baltimore metro region. Precipitation should end around midday Monday, and a second band of snow could bring more accumulation Monday evening before clearing out, according to the NWS forecast.

Gov. Wes Moore declared a State of Preparedness in advance of the elevated winter storm threat to Maryland from Sunday through Monday. His office is asking people to avoid unnecessary travel. Local school systems may make the decision to cancel Monday’s classes as early as Sunday evening.

As of Sunday morning, forecasters predict anywhere from 4-9 inches will fall across most of Baltimore city, Baltimore County, Harford County and Carroll County. Portions of Howard, southern Carroll, Montgomery and Anne Arundel counties are forecast to see slightly more.

If the storm shifts north, the heaviest snow could fall in Baltimore. Ledbetter said some spots could see over a foot.

Mayor Brandon Scott declared a snow emergency ahead of the storm’s arrival, and city workers started winterizing some roads on Saturday to prevent ice buildup. The city has more than 450 pieces of snow plowing equipment at its disposal.

Joey Henderson, director of the Baltimore Office of Emergency Management, warned residents on Friday to “take this storm seriously.”

Annapolis officials ordered residents to move cars parked in snow emergency routes by 11 p.m. Sunday. Parking at some city garages will be made free, and residents can leave their vehicles in those garages until the storm ends.

When the snow stops falling Monday it will likely linger on the ground for some time. Freezing temperatures are forecast for the rest of the week.

Residents across the region will likely use energy than normal to heat their homes as a result — which is tough considering Baltimore Gas and Electric Co.’s planned rate hikes.

Cold temperatures also coincide with more house fires, and local officials warned residents not to turn to alternative heating methods, like using one’s oven to heat a room. Kerosene heaters are also illegal indoors in Baltimore city.

This story will update.

BALTIMORE — We will see a slight break in the dangerous wintry weather Sunday with partial sunshine and afternoon highs in the low 30s. Winds will also relax slightly, but it will still feel colder than the actual temperature.

Listed below are possible snowfall totals through Monday morning by 8am for two different models. You’ll notice both models agree on the forecasted amounts for Baltimore and Salisbury.

• GFS: Westminster, 3″; Baltimore, 3″, Salisbury, 5″.
• GRAF: Westminster, 1″, Baltimore, 3″, Salisbury, 6″.

Late Sunday storm expected to bring snow

Light snow will begin falling about 10:00pm Sunday night in the Baltimore metro area. 

A winter storm watch has been issued for northern Maryland counties and the eastern shore ahead of our next storm. Total accumulations are expected to be anywhere from 4+ inches with periodic snowfall from Sunday night through Tuesday morning.

A winter storm warning has been issued for areas from Annapolis to DC with areas south of Baltimore expecting 6+ inches, with some areas expecting up to a foot of snow total.

By Monday’s morning rush hour, we could have anywhere from 2-4″ on the ground.

After a brief break, the storm will reorganize, and heavier convective bands could bring another 2-4″ to the area. The wintry precipitation is expected to end early Tuesday. 

Areas along the I-70 corridor could see heavy bands of snow. Mountain regions in western Maryland could see up to a foot of snow.

Some areas may see lower snow totals if freezing rain or sleet mixes in. 

High temperatures on Monday will barely reach 30 degrees, with lows Tuesday morning dropping into the upper teens to near 20. Wind chills will be even colder, in the low teens.

Frigid week ahead

A return to a mix of clouds and sunshine is expected from Tuesday through Friday. However, some of the coldest air of the season will settle over the region.

High temperatures will remain below freezing from Tuesday through Friday, with overnight lows dipping well into the teens. The coldest morning will likely be Thursday, when wind chills could fall to zero or below in some areas.

The cold weather will persist into next weekend, with highs in the 30s. Another storm system may bring additional wintry weather to the area late next weekend.

Stay tuned for updates as the forecast develops, and take necessary precautions to prepare for this extended period of winter weather.