Maryland

No. 8 Maryland women’s basketball vs. Rutgers preview

Published

11 months ago

January 1, 2025

No. 8 Maryland women’s basketball vs. Rutgers preview

No. 8 Maryland women’s basketball will start 2025 undefeated after a 12-0 start.

The Terps will host Kaylene Smikle’s former squad on the second day of the new year as Rutgers travels to Xfinity Center.

The game will tip off at 7 p.m. Thursday and stream on Big Ten Plus.

Rutgers Scarlet Knights (8-5, 0-2 Big Ten)

Head coach Coquese Washington is in her third season at the helm with Rutgers and has already matched the team’s win total from last season. That said, Washington’s biggest struggle as Rutgers’ head coach is Big Ten play. Since taking over, Rutgers is 7-31 against conference opponents; Maryland is 26-12 in that span.

Smikle, who has been a star for Maryland this season, led Rutgers in scoring last season.

Rutgers’ wins came against Manhattan, Cornell, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Iona, Georgia Southern, Fairleigh Dickinson, Wagner and Lafayette. The Scarlet Knights have yet to earn a signature win against a team of Maryland’s caliber.

Players to watch

Kiyomi McMiller, freshman guard, 5-foot-8, No. 32 — McMiller leads Rutgers in scoring as a freshman with 20.4 points per game, which ranks 17th among freshman in the country. She also averages 3.4 assists and 5.5 rebounds. She hails from Silver Spring, Maryland, and was ESPN’s No. 22 ranked recruit in the 2024 class.

Destiny Adams, senior guard/forward, 6-foot-3, No. 1 — Adams leads Rutgers this season with 10.2 rebounds per game and is second in scoring with 18.3 points per game. She’s in her second season with Rutgers after playing two seasons with North Carolina. Last season, she earned coaches’ All-Big Ten second-team honors and was a media Big Ten honorable mention.

Chyna Cornwell, graduate student center, 6-foot-3, No. 54 — Cornwell is in her fifth season with Rutgers and has operated as the de facto starting center for the last three years. She ranks second on the team with 8.9 rebounds per game and third with 8.6 points per game. She is a presence in the paint and has yet to attempt a 3-pointer in her entire five-year career.

Strength

Offensive rebounds. The Scarlet Knights average 16.1 offensive rebounds per game this season, tied for the most in the Big Ten and the 18th-highest mark in the country. Maryland is right behind Rutgers, averaging 15.4 offensive rebounds per game.

Weakness

Assist-to-turnover ratio. Rutgers has the second-worst assist-to-turnover ratio in the Big Ten (0.90), only above Penn State’s 0.89 mark. Rutgers is 123rd in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio, while Maryland is 67th at 1.06. The Scarlet Knights also average just 12.5 assists per game, tied for 222nd in the nation.

Three things to watch

1. Usher in the new year. The Terps are 12-0 for the first time since 2018-19, when they won their first 12 games before losing to Rutgers on Dec. 31 at Xfinity Center. The last time the Terps entered the new year with an undefeated record was 2011-12. Maryland’s upcoming schedule includes games against Rutgers, No. 23 Iowa, No. 4 USC, Wisconsin and Minnesota.

2. Smikle’s revenge. Smikle led Rutgers in scoring in each of the last two seasons. She currently leads the Terps with 17.8 points per game and may enter Thursday’s game with a new sense of aggressiveness.

3. The Big Ten isn’t easy. Despite winning its first two Big Ten games this season, neither have been easy victories for Maryland. The Terps will suit up for their third Big Ten game against a team that hasn’t fared well during conference play in recent history. How the first 10 minutes of the game play out may indicate whether or not it will be competitive.

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Maryland

Michigan football: Three things we learned against Maryland

Published

11 hours ago

November 23, 2025

Press Room

Michigan football: Three things we learned against Maryland

Angelique Chengelis of The Detroit News shares three takeaways from Michigan’s 45-20 win over Maryland.

▶ Michigan ups the pressure.

After a lull against Northwestern when Michigan did not record a sack, the Wolverines were back at it against Maryland with three sacks of Malik Washington, who had only been sacked three times all season. They’ve now had 12 in the last four games and rank fourth in the Big Ten and 28th in the nation

Defensive lineman Tre Williams, who had one of the two sacks – Derrick Moore had one to bring his team-best total to 9.5, and Jaishawn Barham had his fourth of the season – said teams are not used to seeing a line that is so aggressive.

“We send waves at people,” Williams said. “It’s not just a couple guys. We send waves and waves and waves and waves at people, and that gets really overwhelming at times for teams.”

Michigan’s defense is now preparing to face Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin, who is completing 79.4% of his passes for 2,832 yards and has 27 touchdowns. He has taken six sacks this season.

▶ Marsh a freshman phenom.

All the talk heading into the season was about freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood, and he still certainly has plenty of focus on him, but receiver Andrew Marsh continues to stand out.

Against Maryland, Marsh also was a difference-maker in the return game. The freshman had a 39-yard kick return that set up a touchdown in the third quarter, but he has added punt returns to his repertoire. Returning punts has been an issue for Michigan this season, and Marsh had taken over the job from Semaj Morgan last week against Northwestern, and Morgan did not make the trip to Maryland. Marsh returned one for 14 yards before halftime.

Marsh finished with 147 all-purpose yards, including 76 receiving yards and 48 kickoff yards. Still, where he’s making his mark as one of the most influential freshmen. He leads the team in receiving with 42 catches for 641 yards and three touchdowns and averages 15.3 a catch, as does Donaven McCulley.

▶ Not missing a beat in run game.

Not surprisingly, Michigan is a run-first team, but the important point is the Wolverines have been able to sustain their production with three backs – Justice Haynes, Jordan Marshall and Bryson Kuzdzal.

Haynes is injured and won’t play the rest of the regular season and who knows if he’ll be back for any postseason play if there is a Michigan playoff future. Marshall has taken over as Michigan’s leading rusher but didn’t play at Maryland because of a shoulder injury, although he was in uniform. Kuzdzal, a former walk-on, rushed for 100 yards and three touchdowns against the Terps.

Michigan has rushed for more than 215 yards in each of the last four games, including 228 against Maryland. The Wolverines are averaging 243.3 yards a game in those four games and rank 12^th nationally (223.0).

While Kuzdzal is a capable back and fast – he said he was timed at 4.4 in the 40-yard dash in high school, the Wolverines need Marshall healthy for the upcoming game against Ohio State, which is No. 2 in rush defense (81.4).

achengelis@detroitnews.com

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Man shot, killed by his own family member in downtown Silver Spring

Published

1 day ago

November 22, 2025

Press Room

Man shot, killed by his own family member in downtown Silver Spring

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. (7News) — A Maryland man was shot and killed following an argument inside a car in downtown Silver Spring on Friday afternoon, and police said the suspected shooter, a relative of the victim, was arrested just hours later.

Fallou Galass Fall, 20, of Laurel, faces first-degree murder in the shooting death of Babacar Mbengue, 22.

The Montgomery County Police Department said 3rd District officers and Fire Rescue personnel were called around 2:07 p.m. on Nov. 21 to Richmond Avenue near Fenton Street for a report of a shooting.

RELATED COVERAGE | Man dead, another man arrested after shooting in Silver Spring

First responders found Mbengue lying in the street with a gunshot wound to the chest. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Homicide detectives quickly discovered and identified Fall as the gunman.

Investigators said Mbengue and Fall were inside a red Tesla when an argument broke out. The verbal dispute escalated, and both men reportedly got out of the car and kept fighting in the middle of the road. During the altercation, police said Fall pulled out a gun and shot Mbengue before driving away in the Tesla.

SEE ALSO | Police chase starting in Frederick ends in wrong-way crash along I-270, accused identified

Fall was taken into custody shortly after 6 p.m. when officers in Laurel stopped him as he was driving away from his apartment. He was taken to the Montgomery County Central Processing Unit and served a warrant for first-degree murder. As of Saturday, Fall was awaiting a bond hearing.

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Anyone with more information is asked to call the Montgomery County Police’s Homicide Section. Anonymous tips can be submitted through Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS.

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