Terps cruise to victory in tournament opener
Maryland dominates with collaborative effort
COLLEGE PARK — With three transfers among its top five scorers, the Maryland women’s basketball team had to build an identity in a hurry this season.
The Terps earned a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament thanks to no-drama, share-the-load offense and harassing, all-court defense, a formula that was on full display Friday in their 93-61 first-round blowout of No. 15 seed Holy Cross.
Maryland (26-6) allowed no hint of upset fever to creep into the Xfinity Center, building a 19-point lead by the end of the first quarter and steadily extending it. Five Terps scored in double figures, led by two of those transfers: Brinae Alexander with 18 points and Abby Meyers with 16. All 10 players who entered the game for Maryland scored.
“I loved the start,” Maryland coach Brenda Frese said after moving to 19-0 for her career in NCAA Tournament openers. “We were ready to play. We were locked in.”
Holy Cross (24-9) was in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2007, pitted against a team that not only expects to dance every March but harbors Final Four ambitions.
That difference was apparent from the opening tip, as the Crusaders struggled to get the ball over half-court against Maryland’s pressing defense. The Terps scored the game’s first 14 points on their way to
a 23-4 lead at the end of the first quarter.
“Maryland just did a great job with its pressure, which we had been preparing for, but it was hard to simulate,” Holy Cross coach Maureen Magarity said.
The Terps’ long arms and quick feet made it difficult for the Crusaders to find a clean passing lane. Senior Faith Masonius, whom Frese described as “our grit, our scrappiness,” led the early swarm, fueling Maryland’s fast break with a pair of steals in the first two minutes.
“In the Patriot League, we’re really not used to seeing that type of athleticism,” Holy Cross guard Addisyn Cross said.
Frese and her players hoped to rattle the Crusaders with their defensive aggression. “That’s the goal of our press,” Meyers said. “To get their nerves up, to speed them up.”
Maryland didn’t even shoot well over the first 10 minutes, making 10 of 23 field goal attempts, but Frese’s team revved up its offense in the second quarter, and Holy Cross could not keep pace. The Terps built their lead to 52-21 at halftime, led by 13 points from Meyers and 10 from senior guard Diamond Miller. They used their superior size and quickness to limit Holy Cross to 9-for-23 shooting, 1-for-7 from 3-point range, and force 17 turnovers in the first half.
Maryland forced 24 turnovers for the game, converting those miscues into 37 points.
The Terps showcased another of their trademarks, unselfish offense, with 21 assists on 36 made baskets. Four of their fives starters scored at least 10 points, and their top two reserves, Alexander and Lavender Briggs, combined for 26.
“We do have a lot of lethal weapons on this team,” said Alexander, who was playing her first NCAA Tournament game after she spent four seasons at Vanderbilt. “That does make us hard to guard.”
Frese said her players, several of whom were No. 1 scoring options at other schools, feel compelled to move the ball and take high-percentage shots because they’re in such gifted company.
“You have to be really, really efficient when you have so much offensive talent around you,” she said.
Maryland will next host No. 7 seed Arizona on Sunday with a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line. It would be the Terps’ third straight.
The Wildcats (22-9) turned away No. 10 seed West Virginia, 75-62, in the first game at Xfinity Center Friday despite playing much of the second half without leading scorer Shaina Pellington, who was in foul trouble. Cate Reese led Arizona with 25 points, and the 6-foot-2 forward’s inside muscle could prove challenging for the Terps, who are short on post presence compared to past Maryland teams. The Terps will also have to deal with Pellington’s slashing moves, which produced 18 points in just 20 minutes against West Virginia.
Frese played at Arizona and said she’ll probably connect with old teammates ahead of Sunday’s matchup. “We’re going to have to see who they’re rooting for,” she joked.
She has no illusions the Terps will put away the Wildcats as easily as they did the Crusaders. “They have weapons ate every single position,” Frese said. “They’re a great defensive team, very scrappy. I think they can get their offense going in a lot of different ways, with their guard play, with their inside game.”
Maryland has slipped up at the same stage against past visitors from the West, dropping second-round home games to UCLA in 2019 and Washington in 2016. Frese said she has no doubt her team will be on guard this time around.
“I think they truly understand it,” she said.