Absence of Miller hurts Terps
Top-ranked Gamecocks pull away in second half
COLLEGE PARK — The Maryland women’s basketball team’s bid to upset No. 1 South Carolina might have seemed like it was over before it even began after news broke that star shooting guard Diamond Miller would not play.
For one half, the No. 17 Terps kept up with the reigning national champions. But then the Gamecocks remembered their pedigree and used their size advantage to sail to an 81-56 victory Friday night before at Xfinity Center.
The loss dropped Maryland to 1-1 for the third time in the last four seasons.
The result wasn’t terribly shocking considering the pregame news that Miller would be unavailable to play. The senior shooting guard reinjured the right knee, on which she underwent surgery in the offseason to repair a stress fracture in the patella just 25 seconds into the second quarter of Monday’s 88-51 season-opening win at George Mason.
After that game, coach Brenda Frese had held out some hope that Miller (11 points and two blocks in nine minutes) would be able to suit up against South Carolina. But Miller did not practice much during the week, forcing Frese’s hand.
Sophomore shooting guard Shyanne Sellers, the Big Ten’s Sixth Player of the Year last winter, moved into the starting lineup in place of Miller and finished with nine points, five rebounds and three rebounds before fouling out with 4:06 left in regulation. But the Terps clearly missed their offensive catalyst, their defensive anchor and emotional leader.
Miller’s absence was especially noticeable on the boards where South Carolina flexed its muscles, outrebounding the Terps 55-32. During one stretch in the first quarter, the Gamecocks threw 6-foot-7 junior center Kamilla Cardoso, the 6-5 Boston and 6-4 senior forward Laeticia Amihere on the floor against a Maryland lineup fronted by the 6-2 Sellers.
To thwart South Carolina’s size advantage on the interior, the Terps frequently tasked three players with crowding the middle and leaving only two players on the perimeter. At times, it seemed like they were daring the Gamecocks to take long-range shots rather than dump the ball down to Boston or Cardoso.
UP NEXT
Fordham at No. 17 Maryland Sunday, 1 p.m.
Stream: BTN-Plus
That strategy slowed South Carolina in the first half, but the Terps continued to go back to the well in the second. Boston racked up 16 points and 13 rebounds, Cardoso amassed 13 points and five rebounds, and Amihere added 10 points, eight rebounds and two blocks to help the Gamecocks outscore Maryland 40-20 in the paint. Senior point guard Zia Cooke led South Carolina with 18 points, three assists and two steals.
The Gamecocks also blocked 11 shots. That might have contributed to the Terps shooting just 30.3% (20-for-66).
Senior shooting guard Abby Meyers scored 16 of her game-high 21 points in the
first half and collected six rebounds. But she was the only Maryland player to reach double-digits in points.
The game appeared to turn with 3:11 left in the third quarter with South Carolina leading 46-38. Terps freshman shooting guard Bri McDaniel and Gamecocks graduate student shooting guard Kierra Fletcher got tangled up, and after the play was whistled dead, the pair exchanged a few pleasantries that forced officials to separate both teams.
Both players were assessed technical fouls, and Cardoso was charged with an intentional foul. The fracas seemed to ignite South Carolina, which closed out the period on a 16-5 run to wield a 62-43 advantage at the start of the fourth quarter.
Maryland exchanged early blows with the Gamecocks, drawing to within 15-12 with
3:04 left in the first quarter. But the Terps went cold for the remainder of the period and the first 1:21 of the second quarter.
When Meyers connected on a layup with 8:39 left in the frame, South Carolina had opened up a 21-14 lead. The team used backto-back 3-pointers by Cooke and senior shooting guard Brea Beal to assume a 27-14 advantage — its largest of the first half.
But the Gamecocks did not score a point in the last 3:12 of the quarter, and Maryland got layups from Meyers and freshman point guard Gia Cooke to trail just 32-26 at halftime.
The game was a popular draw. Among those in attendance were Hall of Fame coach Chris Weller, 2006 national champions Marissa Coleman and Crystal Langhorne and 2017 first-team All-America forward Brionna Jones.