With Friday’s game out of reach, No. 7 Maryland women’s basketball had one goal in the third quarter of its annual Field Trip Day: reach the now infamous 67-point mark.
After scoring 64 points, the Terps
limited themselves to shooting only from beyond the arc. After Maryland missed four consecutive 3-point attempts, Yarden Garzon hoisted a deep heave.
Bang.
“Probably the best shot of my career,” Garzon said jokingly. “That was fun. I mean, just like having this moment, and I know my teammates trusted me to take this shot.”
Garzon’s seven 3-pointers and 25 points led Maryland to a dominant 98-30 victory over Central Connecticut State.
Over 13,000 local school students were in attendance to see the Terps dominate the Blue Devils.
Friday’s game was never in question. The Terps came in with a 12-0 record and the Blue Devils entered at 0-10. It was not a fair matchup, and the first quarter proved that.
The Terps scored a season-high 39 points in the opening 10 minutes and rode that wave to an easy win.
The early wave was very balanced. Garzon led the team with 12 points in the opening quarter, but otherwise, the rest of the team was very consistent. Seven players scored, and the Terps shot an impressive 15-of-21 (71.4%) from the field.
Maryland started the game on a 10-0 run and added a 15-2 run later on.
The Terps’ defense was equally as impressive after that. They held the Blue Devils to just two points in the second quarter, and under 10 points in each of the final three frames.
Head coach Brenda Frese was introduced on Friday wearing a No. 67 Maryland jersey, sending the youthful crowd into a craze that remained unrelenting throughout the late morning.
For the second straight game, the Terps only had nine players. Saylor Poffenbarger and Rainey Welson were held out for precautionary reasons.
It didn’t matter that they were shorthanded — contributions came from all over the rotation. Four Terps scored in double figures, and its four bench players combined for 20 points.
The Terps learned before the game that Bri McDaniel — who had not played this season — decided to redshirt, still recovering from a torn ACL.
McDaniel’s announcement will significantly affect the Terps, as they were expecting her to return.
With Kaylene Smikle, Lea Bartelme and Ava McKennie already out for the season, the Terps will only have 11 players down the stretch. Poffenbarger and Welson are expected to return relatively soon, but weren’t needed on Friday.
Maryland will look to Garzon and Oluchi Okananwa to lead it down the stretch — that was also the case on Friday. The duo combined for 47 of Maryland’s 98 points. Okananwa also had 10 rebounds, helping the Terps secure 20 more boards than the Blue Devils.
Addi Mack continued to impress after missing the last game with an ankle injury — she had 15 points on 6-of-13 shooting.
Maryland shot 39-of-79 (49.4%) from the field and 8-of-24 (33.3%) from deep.
The Terps dominated throughout and finished their nonconference slate with an undefeated record.
The Blue Devils were the Terps’ final buy opponent of the season. They’re already shorthanded, and Big Ten play presents new challenges. But Friday was a celebration of the program and the local community.
Three things to know
1. Undefeated nonconference slate. The Terps wrapped up their nonconference slate on Friday and remain undefeated heading into Big Ten play. Maryland won all of its nonconference games by 10 or more points.
2. Rim protection. The Terps were strong defensively in the paint Friday with seven blocks. Isimenme Ozzy-Momodu recorded four — she was the motor of Maryland’s rim protection.
3. The real test begins. As previously stated, Friday was Maryland’s final nonconference game, and likely its final non-competitive matchup. From here on out, the Terps’ resilience and stamina will be tested in every contest.
