Maryland
No. 11 Maryland women’s basketball vs. Saint Francis preview

No. 11 Maryland women’s basketball will be back in action on Sunday to host Saint Francis.
The Terps have enjoyed a week off after a dominating win over Towson last Sunday, 98-63, and will look for their first 6-0 start since the 2021-22 season.
“It’s been a week of practices for us to improve and get better,” head coach Brenda Frese said. “Able to really work on some things defensively and fine tuning things on the offensive end to get ourselves ready for Saint Francis.”
Sunday’s matchup will tip-off at 1 p.m. from Xfinity Center and stream on Big Ten Plus.
Saint Francis Red Flash (1-5, 0-0 Northeast Conference)
2023-24 record: 5-25, 4-12 NEC
Head coach Keila Whittington is in her sixth season with the Red Flash and has only led her team to a winning record once. Saint Francis has an overall 46-102 record under Whittington.
Saint Francis earned its first win of the season on Wednesday night, when the Red Flash took down Robert Morris, 58-55, on the road. Saint Francis has suffered defeats to NJIT, Lafayette, Coppin State, Canisius and Loyola Maryland.
Players to watch
Yanessa Boyd, sophomore guard, 5-foot-9, No. 0 — Boyd is in her second season with the Red Flash and has solidified herself as a starter, leading the team in minutes. She also leads the team with 7.7 points per game. after finishing third last season with 7.1 points per game. Boyd is from Frederick, Maryland, and finished her high school career at Riverdale Baptist.
Ineivi Plata, freshman guard, 5-foot-3, No. 10 — Plata has started every game and is second on the team in minutes as freshman out of White Plains, New York. Plata is currently averaging 4.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.6 turnovers per game. She is 9-of-29 from the field and 2-of-16 from 3-point range this season. She scored a career-high nine points against Coppin State.
Natalie Johnson, junior guard, 5-foot-8, No. 5 — Johnson is in her first season with Saint Francis after transferring from Robert Morris, who Johnson had 10 points against on Wednesday. She has only started one game this season, but averages 7.5 points per game, the second most for Saint Francis. Johnson averages 19.8 minutes per game and is a solid piece off the bench for the Red Flash.
Strength
Rebounding. The Red Flash have outrebounded their opponents this season, 194-188. As a team, Saint Francis averages 32.3 rebounds per game, which ranks fifth in the NEC, and is led by Marina Artero and Plata, who both average 4.0 rebounds.
Weakness
Turnovers. Saint Francis turns the ball over 21.7 times per game, leading to a -7.8 turnover margin for the Red Flash. Opponents average 19.7 points off turnovers and the Red Flash’s assist-to-turnover ratio is 0.5.
Three things to watch
1. A differential against Coppin State. The Red Flash fell to Coppin State, 74-38, on Nov. 12, while Maryland previously took down Coppin State on Nov. 7, 70-47. That is a 59-point margin between Maryland’s and Saint Francis’ performances against Coppin State. While anything can happen, the Terps should have no issues beating Saint Francis.
2. An easy stretch. After the Terps defeated then-No. 11 Duke and Syracuse, they have entered a three-week stretch against lower-level competition until its first Big Ten game on Dec. 7 against Purdue. Their final nonconference game of the regular season will be in the midst of Maryland’s conference schedule against No. 4 Texas in the Coretta Scott King Classic. The Terps will need to be conscious of keeping their foot on the pedal over the next two weeks before their schedule gets tough.
3. Keeping pace. The Terps have three players averaging double-digit points in Kaylene Smikle, Shyanne Sellers and Christina Dalce, as well as two players who are averaging upward of seven rebounds per game in Dalce and Saylor Poffenbarger. Scoring and rebounding have been key parts of Maryland’s game thus far, and the Terps are in position to improve these averages Sunday.
“We just want to take where we’re at and continue to keep building and improving and getting better,” Frese said.

Maryland
How a routine skin check helped a Maryland man detect melanoma early.

Maryland resident James Riordan assumed the mole on his cheek was harmless until his wife pointed it out and encouraged him to have it examined.
“I pointed it out to my dermatologist, and she probably would’ve seen it anyway,” Riordan said. A few days later, the biopsy came back as melanoma.”
Detecting melanoma
Dr. Kate Viola, a dermatologist at Dermatology Partners in Sparks, Maryland, said Riordan’s story is becoming increasingly common.
“About 100,000 Americans will be diagnosed with a melanoma this year, and over 8,400 of those patients will die,” Viola said.
She said people with a family history of melanoma, fair or light-colored skin, blonde or red hair, and blue or green eyes face a higher risk of developing the cancer. Patients with many moles or atypical moles, and those who are immunocompromised, are also more vulnerable.
Viola advises patients to use the “ABC” method to recognize a possible melanoma.
- A is for asymmetry; when one side of a mole does not match the other
- B is for border; when the edges of a mole appear jagged or blurred
- C is for color; when a mole shows multiple shades instead of one
Catching cancer early
Riordan said he was shocked to hear the word melanoma because he has had moles all his life. His cancer was caught early, measuring just 0.3 millimeters.
“There was a little part of me that was scared,” Riordan said. “However, when she first called me and told me how deep it was, I knew we had caught it early.”
Although he initially put off the biopsy for a few months, Riordan said he immediately wanted it removed once he got the results.
“I wasn’t in a hurry to get it checked because I didn’t think it was going to be anything,” he said.
“But when I came in and got the results, I wanted it off as soon as possible,” Riordan added.
Now cancer-free, Riordan carries a small scar on his face, which he considers a reminder of a life-saving decision.
“I love that it’s gone,” he said. “It’s well worth getting rid of the cancer.”
Viola said annual skin checks and daily sunscreen use are critical to preventing melanoma.
She stressed that people should not wait if they notice something unusual.
“Don’t put it off,” she said. “If something looks off, get it checked.”
Maryland
Another year, another rise: Maryland hospitals see 4th consecutive year of medical error spikes – WTOP News

Medical mistakes that led to either death or severe disabilities are apparently on the rise in Maryland, according to a new report from the state’s Department of Health.
Medical mistakes that led to either death or severe disabilities are apparently on the rise in Maryland, according to a new report from the state’s Department of Health.
The report, highlighting data from fiscal year 2023, marks the fourth consecutive year that Maryland hospitals have seen an increase in such incidents, starting with the increase in 2020.
In fiscal 2023, the Maryland Department of Health said there were 957 adverse events reported, including 808 Level 1 events.
Level 1 events are described as “an adverse event that results in death or serious disability.” The latest report marked a 5% increase in such incidences, according to the report.
Pressure injuries were the most frequently reported Level 1 event for the latest report, but were down 2% from the previous year. These types of injuries include ulcers, which commonly happen because of failure to turn and reposition patients with limited mobility and offload pressure in hospital beds, the report found.
Medical tubes and devices caused 30% of in-hospital pressure injuries. “Proper positioning and securing of medical tubes and devices is crucial to pressure injury prevention,” the report states.
Falls were the second-most reported event, with a 22% increase from fiscal 2022, according to the report.
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality reports that more than one-third of hospital falls result in injury, including serious injuries such as fractures and head trauma.
The state report mentions one fall patient in particular who was transferred from an outside hospital with leukemia. The nursing staff at the hospital assessed the patient as a “standard fall risk,” as they had no prior fall history.
However, that patient was later diagnosed as nonverbal with a subdural hematoma after they hit the back of their head on a closet door while walking to the bathroom, according to the report. At the time of the fall, the patient was reported as having a “sudden urinary and fecal incontinence.”
The report stated that the patient had become nonverbal during CT testing.
An investigation into that incident revealed the patient should have been classified as “high-risk” due to their “diagnosis, comorbidities, and medications,” the report said. Investigators also believe the IV pole was a factor in the fall.
“Since the patient’s risk for falls was not assessed accurately, appropriate interventions were not in place, such as a room closer to the nursing station or the use of a bed alarm,” the report stated.
Delays in treatment are the third-highest reported event, and may happen due to “inadequate assessments, communication failures, or human factors, such as timely diagnostic testing, labs, and imaging.”
The department said the trend of increased medical mistakes could be caused by workforce shortages and residual effects from the pandemic.
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Maryland
Is Maryland college football on TV today, or streaming only? Kickoff time, spread

Turtle power! The Maryland Terrapins host Towson looking to notch a big win in Week 3 of the college football season today. Kickoff takes place today at 9 a.m. PT/12 p.m. ET (11 a.m. CT) on Saturday, September 13 and the only way to watch is streaming on Peacock.
• The only way to watch Maryland vs. Towson football is on Peacock Premium, NBC’s low-cost streaming service. If you need to know more about Peacock and how to get it on your TV for this game, we have you covered with our Peacock streaming guide.
Is the Maryland vs. Towson football game on TV today, or streaming only?
When: This afternoon’s non-conference college football matchup kicks off at 9 a.m. PT/12 p.m. ET (11 a.m. CT) on Saturday, September 13.
Where: SECU Stadium, College Park, MD.
What TV channel is the game on? Peacock is not a TV channel and there is no TV broadcast for this game. This game is only available to watch live streaming on Peacock.
How to watch the game streaming live: You have to sign up for Peacock Premium ($10.99/month) to watch this game live on your TV, computer, phone or tablet with the Peacock app. To sign up, follow the sign up instructions on the Peacock home page and it will walk you through the steps to sign up quickly. Once you have signed up, you can download the Peacock app (for Apple/iOS or for Google Android) and sign in on your phone, computer, smart TV or other streaming device.
Maryland vs. Towson spread, latest betting odds
Point spread: MAR: -29 | TOW: +29
Over/Under: 50.5
- Get promo codes, signup deals and free bets from our Oregon Betting News home page.
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