The earlier time Maryland performed, Diamond Miller needed to calm herself down. She was indignant after she couldn’t overcome a sluggish begin within the No. 9 Terrapins’ slim loss at No. 6 Indiana — and was nonetheless venting postgame.
Maryland
No. 9 Terps, sharpened by Diamond Miller, overwhelm Rutgers again
“[Miller] set the tone for us,” Coach Brenda Frese mentioned. “I couldn’t be extra happy with the apply she had yesterday to essentially set the tone in the best way she performed at this time. I assumed she simply performed one in every of her most full video games on each ends of the ground. She was very upset [after Thursday’s loss at Indiana] and sort of understanding that belief that she’s obtained to get together with her teammates.”
Miller began quick Sunday and didn’t let up. She completed with a do-everything stat line of 17 factors, six rebounds, three assists, 5 steals and a block. Maryland (14-4, 5-2 Huge Ten) pressured 23 turnovers — together with 17 within the first half, which ended with the Terps up 44-28 — to overwhelm the Scarlet Knights (8-11, 2-5).
Rutgers entered the sport ranked final within the convention at 21.2 turnovers per recreation. The Terps had turned the Scarlet Knights over 22 instances throughout a 78-67 street win Jan. 2.
“It’s not that sophisticated: You need to throw it to the pink jerseys, not the white jerseys,” Rutgers Coach Coquese Washington quipped.
Rutgers once more struggled mightily towards Maryland’s press protection. Merely getting the ball throughout half-court was a problem, and the Terps scored 19 factors off turnovers. Maryland nabbed 14 steals and tried 26 extra pictures.
“I believe urgent will get us going,” ahead Brinae Alexander mentioned. “Once we sort of sit again out of our press, we sort of get somewhat stagnant — somewhat lazy, to be harsh. However I believe being within the press provides us momentum.”
Added guard Abby Meyers: “What we’re studying about ourselves on daily basis is that we will actually defend and get actually nice momentum. … That’s going to assist us down the stretch once we play actually good groups and we’ve got to get stops.”
On the alternative finish, Maryland’s offense got here pretty simply as Rutgers was usually out of types. 4 gamers scored in double figures, with Alexander main the best way with 20 factors off the bench. Meyers had 10 first-quarter factors earlier than ending with 14 factors and 7 assists. Shyanne Sellers had 12 factors, 9 rebounds and 7 assists.
Maryland managed simply 11 assists towards 16 turnovers within the loss to Indiana that left Miller steamed. That modified Sunday, when the Terps had 24 assists towards 11 turnovers.
Right here’s what else to find out about Maryland’s win:
Alexander hit a three-pointer late within the third quarter to succeed in 1,000 profession factors. The primary-year Terp transferred from Vanderbilt, the place she scored 841 factors in 4 seasons. After a three-game hunch, she obtained again on observe with 15 factors at Indiana and stored rolling towards the Scarlet Knights: Her six three-pointers are essentially the most a Maryland participant has made this season.
Gamers on the bench had implored Alexander to shoot earlier within the recreation, they usually erupted when she reached 1,000.
“Credit score to my teammates for locating me and getting me open seems,” Alexander mentioned. “… I didn’t know precisely if I used to be one or two factors shy. … However the bench was screaming at me, and I used to be like, ‘Nicely, I assume I’ll shoot it.’ ”
Maryland’s freshmen haven’t gotten a lot time on the ground, however Sunday’s giant first-half lead allowed Frese to get the newbies some minutes. Mila Reynolds and Gia Cooke checked in in the course of the second quarter — a lot sooner than standard. They mixed to play 12 minutes and rating two factors.
“We’re making an attempt to get them there,” Frese mentioned. “At the very least we had the chance to have the ability to try this and making an attempt to identify [rest] them and get different individuals [rest] and sort of see if they’ll construct some belief and what we’d like them to have the ability to do. So it’s been a journey.
“Our freshmen are taking longer than anticipated. Often by January … you have to be in some sort of rotation and a few sort of movement. So we’d like them. We’ve got excessive expectations for them.”
Maryland visits Wisconsin (6-12, 2-5) on Thursday earlier than heading to Nebraska (11-7, 3-4) for a showdown subsequent Sunday. That may finish the Terps’ best stretch of the Huge Ten schedule. Maryland will face three ranked groups — No. 17 Michigan, No. 12 Iowa and No. 3 Ohio State — over its following 4 video games.