Terps breeze to third straight win
WASHINGTON — The ninthranked Maryland women’s basketball team boarded a bus late Wednesday afternoon for the roughly 40-minute ride from College Park to to face George Washington. It took the Terrapins’ far less time to determine the outcome of their first road game of the season.
In pulling away for a 69-30 triumph, Maryland deployed suffocating defense, including full-court pressure at times, in the first half to hold the Colonials scoreless for 9:24 bridging the first and second quarters. The Terps also did not permit a field goal for 10:17 in the first half at Smith Center.
During that stretch, Maryland
scored 17 in a row spread among five players. A 3-pointer by freshman Taylor Mikesell, Brianna Fraser’s turnaround jumper and Mikesell’s jumper bumped the Terrapins’ advantage to 25-8 with 7:26 left in the first half.
“I thought we were locked in really aggressively from the tip, really wanting to be able to set the tone,” said Maryland coach Brenda Frese, whose team next plays No. 10 South Carolina.. “I thought both halves, you look at the first to the third quarter, there were some big differences, so really liked the way we’ve grown.”
Three players scored in double digits for the Terrapins, with forward Brianna Fraser’s 16 points a game high. The only senior on the roster made 7 of 9 field goals and added six rebounds during a game in which Maryland finished with a 48-4 margin in points in the paint.
It also limited GW to 18 percent shooting and forced 17 turnovers yielding 19 points. Maryland committed 10 turnovers against an opponent that had forced 37 combined over its first two games. The Terrapins permitted just three points in the third quarter, with the Colonials missing their first 13 field goal attempts.
The last time Maryland held an opponent to three points or fewer in a quarter was Dec. 20, 2015, during a 106-30 win against Maryland-Eastern Shore which score one point in the fourth quarter. That game also marked the last time the Terrapins held an opponent to 30 points or fewer.
Ahead of the Colonials by 25 at halftime, Maryland scored eight in a row to begin the third quarter while shutting out the reigning Atlantic 10 tournament champions through the first 8:15. The lead swelled to 65-21 late in the fourth quarter in GW’s 60th game all-time against a top-10 opponent.
The Colonials haven’t defeated a top-10 team since Nov. 15, 2013, outlasting thenNo. 10 California, 55-53, on the road.
Kelsi Mahoney led the Colonials with12 points. The senior forward was the only Colonials player to score in double figures during GW’s lowest scoring performance since Nov. 25, 2012, in a 50-31 loss to Virginia Tech
The point total also was the Colonials’ fewest since Coach Jen Rizzotti, a former all-American point guard at Connecticut, took over in Foggy Bottom in 2016-17.
“I’m disappointed and a little embarrassed at our performance today, and my players already have heard that twice at halftime and now,” Rizzotti said. “But kudos to Maryland for their performance. I told the team that our biggest challenge is how relentless they are.”
Maryland had reason to celebrate other than beating its cross-town rival from the Atlantic 10 for a fifth consecutive time.