Maryland women’s basketball rolls past Mount St. Mary’s, 87-52

As time expired on another Maryland women’s basketball victory, the Terps found themselves in an unfamiliar position: entering conference play with an undefeated record.

Maryland comfortably took down Mount St. Mary’s, 87-52, Tuesday night at Xfinity Center for its ninth consecutive win behind a balanced offensive effort led by Christina Dalce with 13 points. Shyanne Sellers and Allie Kubek followed with 12 points apiece.

The last time Maryland started 9-0 or better was 2018-19.

Before the game started, head coach Brenda Frese made a notable change. She gave Saylor Poffenbarger her first start in a Maryland uniform, electing to bring Dalce off the bench.

“I’ve said this all along, we have seven starters,” Frese said. “When you look at Saylor, you know she’s been three weeks out with an injury, but this is who she has been.”

Both forwards ended with double-digit points, and Dalce spoke glowingly about her teammate postgame.

“She works so hard, and it makes you want to work hard as well,” Dalce said. “She’s all over, offensively and defensively.”

Regardless of its starting center, though, Maryland looked like a team playing its third game in four days in the first quarter. The game got off to a sloppy start with the Terps’ offense looking lethargic. Luckily for them, the Mountaineers were not playing any sharper.

Despite shooting just over 30% from the field and turning it over six times, Maryland escaped the opening period up 15-8.

The second quarter showed improvement for the Terps, who opened up a large lead. The Terps started to press their advantage inside through Dalce and Kubek, throwing them post-entry passes and letting them get easy layups over smaller defenders.

Maryland continued to overwhelm the Mountaineers on defense, as it forced eight turnovers. Kubek stood out on that end as well, recording a steal and block.

Maryland sunk just two first-half 3-pointers, but still opened up a 40-19 lead by halftime.

The third quarter saw Maryland play some of its best offense of the evening. The ball moved more fluidly than it had all game through the Mountaineer defenders, leading to plenty of easy buckets. Sellers and Sarah Te-Biasu orchestrated the offense, as Maryland’s wings moved off the ball for easy looks. The Terps tallied six assists in the third quarter.

They could have extended their lead if not for some laziness on the defensive end that afforded the Mountaineers some open layups of their own. Still, Maryland was firmly in the driver’s seat heading into the fourth quarter.

Amari DeBerry subbed into the game for the first time in the fourth quarter. The Terps’ reserve forward had a solid performance late, racking up four points, three rebounds, two assists and a block in just eight minutes.

Maryland ended the game with a 35-point win, tied for its third-largest of the season, as it heads into conference play with another decisive victory.

Three things to know

1. Mount St. Mary’s was out of its league. Out of the gate, it was clear that the Mountaineers were not a serious opponent for the Terps, who had a clear size and length advantage. Mount St. Mary struggled to generate offense in any form. It shot 33.9% from the field and turned the ball over 19 times.

2. Terps share the wealth again. For the second straight game, every available Terp scored at least three points, with freshman Ava McKennie getting some first-half action. The win also saw five different Terps in double figures: Dalce, Sellers, Kubek, Poffenbarger and Kaylene Smikle.

3. Turnover problems persist. Maryland has struggled with protecting the ball this season, and this game was no different. The Terps turned it over 15 times, with Dalce and Smikle accumulating four giveaways each. Frese has consistently emphasized the importance of winning the turnover battle for Maryland’s success, which will be necessary against tougher opponents.