It wasn’t a 40-point win like the Michigan Wolverines have been used to, but they put together a strong second half to take down the Maryland Terrapins, 101-83, on the road Saturday night.
Maryland
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.
Maryland
Frigid temperatures to start the week in Maryland
Maryland
4 takeaways from Michigan Basketball’s 101-83 win at Maryland
The Wolverines haven’t had a true road test in over a month, and it took 30 minutes to shake off the dust. While Maryland had a strong night from the three-point line to flirt with an upset, Michigan stuck to its game plan and went on a run in the final 10 minutes of the contest to win the game.
There is a lot to unpack, so here are four takeaways:
David “Diggi” Coit legacy first half
The Terrapins gave Michigan its first deficit going into halftime this season, and it can be largely thanks to point guard David “Diggi” Coit. The Northern Illinois and Kansas transfer was on another level in the first half, scoring 22 points on 7-for-13 shooting, including six makes from three.
Coit wasn’t just sitting in the corner either. He was creating his own shot from everywhere on the hardwood, going up against Michigan’s Elliot Cadeau, Yaxel Lendeborg, and even hitting one in the face of Morez Johnson Jr., all of whom are taller than the graduate transfer.
He continued his hot streak to start the second half, but eventually cooled off and finished with 31 points. It was a remarkable showing, and it should be a good sign for the Terrapins going forward if he can produce every night like Saturday.
As for Michigan, it was a good test to face a player who could not miss for a half, and learn how to adjust at halftime to take away the threat. It will happen again, and as Dusty May always says, it is better for it to happen now than in March.
Michigan hasn’t played a close game since Nov. 14. Its reserve players have seen a ton of action, but it came at the expense of the Wolverines having to put games away at a consistent rate. While Maryland put the pressure on Michigan for 30 minutes, the final 10 are what gives May confidence in a potential national championship for this team.
The Wolverines shot 8-for-10 from the field to balloon their lead from five to 15 in a matter of minutes. It was an uncomfortable, yet promising finish for the Wolverines.
When many top teams would start forcing shots, Michigan continue to attack the paint and get the ball in the hands of its go-to players, capitalizing on a Maryland cold streak to go from a deficit to a double-digit lead late in the game.
There are a lot of talented teams on Michigan’s schedule, and there will be a few more matchups with spunky teams like Maryland that will force the Wolverines to lock in. They passed this test and can rest easy as they face some lighter non-conference opponents before the New Year.
When Michigan has needed a spark since its tournament in Las Vegas, the Wolverines have turned to their top transfer portal get — Yaxel Lendeborg. He led Michigan scorers with 13 points in the first half, but coming out of halftime down seven points, he was on a whole other level. Lendeborg put the ball in his own hands with 20 minutes to go, scoring 10 straight points to start the second, bringing Michigan within one point.
As Maryland continued to keep pace, Lendeborg would not let up and put together seven more points to get to 29 points for the night and 16 for the half with 11 minutes still to go.
When Maryland started double-teaming Lendeborg, he started spreading the wealth and giving his teammates open-opportunities. Elliot Cadeau knocked down a couple of shots, L.J. Cason made back-to-back threes and Mara was putting on a show with reverse dunks and alley-oops. Before long, Michigan held a 15-point lead.
While it was tough-sledding for most of the team in College Park, Michigan showed it only needed a couple of guys to be in rhythm to keep pace and even lead opponents who were having their best shooting night.
Michigan continued dominance in the paint
You can try to beat Michigan with the three-ball, but it is going to be very hard to claim ultimate victory if you can’t stop it in the paint. The Terps shot 55 percent from behind the arc in the first half and 48 percent in the second half, but Michigan didn’t mess around down low in the paint.
The Wolverines dominated Maryland, 20-10, in the paint in the first half, and put on an even stronger showing in the second with 24 points down low. It didn’t help that Maryland best front court player, Pharrel Payne, went down with a knee injury in the first half. As a result, Michigan quietly continued to grow its lead when the Terps’ threes stopped falling.
Between Mara, Will Tschetter, Johnson and Lendeborg, the options are limitless for the Wolverines in the post.
After gritting it out to stay undefeated, Michigan heads back home and will get a week off before facing La Salle on Sunday, Dec. 21 (4 p.m., BTN).
Maryland
Maryland HOA holiday lights dispute highlights what homeowners can and can’t do
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. (7News) — A Maryland family’s ongoing battle with their homeowners’ association over a Christmas light display has reignited a broader conversation about how much control HOAs can legally exercise over holiday decorations.
7News has been following the case, in which the family continues to face fines from their HOA over their holiday lights.
To better under how homeowner associations operate and what options residents may have, 7News spoke with Alfredo Vásquez, a Washington, D.C.-based homeowner defense attorney.
RELATED COVERAGE | HOA vs. Christmas decorations: Maryland family facing hundreds in fines for lights
Why HOAs often cite holiday decorations
According to Vásquez, disputes over holiday decorations are common, but they usually center on timing rather than style.
“It may vary by community or HOA,” Vásquez said. “The most common reason would be that residents put decorations up too early or take them down too late.”
He explained that most HOA governing documents regulate how long decorations can remain on display, outlining specific start and end dates of holiday decor.
Are there rules on lights, music, or colors?
While many homeowners wonder whether HOAs can ban flashing lights, colored bulbs, or loud holiday music, Vásquez said those restrictions are less common.
“I haven’t seen any restrictions that are specific in that way,” he said. “Most governing documents I’ve reviewed focus on whether lights or music interfere with a neighbor’s lot.”
In other words, enforcement is often tied to nuisance complaints rather than aesthetics.
What if homeowners feel targeted?
Vásquez emphasized that HOA boards are legally required to enforce rules consistently.
“The Board of Directors has a duty to implement regulations in an equitable manner across the entire community,” he said.
If homeowners believe they are being unfairly singled out, the first step is reviewing the HOA’s governing documents to confirm whether the association actually has authority to regulate the issue at hand.
MORE COVERAGE | HOA still not specifying ‘nuisance’ in Germantown, Md. family’s Christmas decorations
Can issues be resolved without going to court?
Yes, and in most cases, that’s the recommended path.
HOAs must follow state condo and HOA laws, which typically require formal processes for enforcement, including notices of violations and opportunities for hearings.
“It would be ideal for homeowners to act quickly and request a hearing with the board,” Vásquez said. “They should present their case and allow the board to decide whether the violation and fines can withstand scrutiny.”
Do homeowners have any recourse after signing HOA bylaws?
Once a homeowner buys into an HOA-regulated community, they are generally bound by its bylaws, Vásquez said.
“As long as those bylaws comply with federal and state laws, homeowners’ hands may be tied,” he explained.
However, bylaws can be changed, usually through a supermajority vote of the community. Homeowners may also have stronger grounds to challenge newly adopted amendments, as long as they act promptly.
Vásquez added that staying engaged in HOA meetings and decisions is critical.
“Homeowners have to pay attention to what’s going on in their community so they can challenge changes in a timely manner,” he said.
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