Here’s what to know about the Terps’ fourth straight victory.
Maryland women’s basketball continued to catch fire late in this season, winning its fourth straight game with an 81-62 victory over Rutgers on Wednesday.
Here are three takeaways from the game.
The Terps locked in on defense
Maryland head coach Brenda Frese’s teams are known for their defense. And while the Terps have allowed the second most points per game in the Big Ten this season, they stepped their game up Wednesday.
Throughout the whole first half, the Terps rarely moved into a zone. The team stayed in man-to-man, and while Destiny Adams scored 10 points, the rest of Rutgers’ team scored just 10 points in the half. It was arguably the team’s best defensive half this season, with the whole squad constantly contesting without fouling.
“I think [in the] second quarter we really did a great job just defensively,” guard Shyanne Sellers said.
The rest of the game was a different story, as Rutgers started to figure things out in the second half, shooting 42.9% from the field in the final two quarters. But by that point, the Terps had built up a big enough lead.
Maryland will play two top 15 ranked opponents in its three final games of the regular season. Its defense will need to stand tall to provide them with confidence heading into the Big Ten Tournament.
“I feel like us coming together and playing as a team on defense, it helped us during this stretch,” said guard Bri McDaniel.
Briggs’ injury dealt another blow to the bench
Early in the second quarter, Maryland guard Lavender Briggs suffered a non-contact lower-body injury and had to be helped off of the court. At first glance, it looks like Briggs could miss substantial time, which would add to the list of long-term injuries the Terps have had to deal with this season. Frese said postgame that Briggs will undergo an MRI on Thursday.
“We just decided to come together and play for her,” McDaniel said of Briggs.
Through the first few months of the season, Frese has been forced to adapt multiple times due to significant injuries. Forward Emma Chardon went down with an ACL tear in December, and promising freshman guard Riley Nelson soon followed with an ACL tear of her own. Both players were parts of the team’s rotation.
However, Briggs would be the most impactful player the team has lost to date, if her injury proves to be serious. She is averaging the third-most minutes per game on the team (28) and nine points and 5.1 rebounds per game entering Wednesday’s contest.
Frese may only have seven rotations players left for the homestretch of this season. Some other players may have to step up, like center Hawa Doumbouya, who played for only the second time in February on Wednesday.
“We’d love to be able to use [Doumbouya] more and have depth off the bench but, you know, it’s February,” Frese said.
Another great performance on the glass
Maryland’s lack of size has been a concern all season, but it has been extremely active on the boards of recent, which has helped it during its current four-game winning streak.
Maryland has out-rebounded its opponent in each of the last four games, winning the board battle by more than 10 in three of those victories.
Against Rutgers, the Terps were able to grab defensive rebounds with relative ease, constantly forcing the Scarlet Knights into contested shots. In the first half, Maryland corralled 24 rebounds to Rutgers’ 14, and added an additional 20 boards in the second half.
Maryland’s recent run of form has showed a clear correlation of its rebounding prowess turning into comfortable victories, which could prove valuable in the postseason.