Looking to responds after a loss to Indiana on the road, Maryland did just that by beating visiting Penn State 106-78 last night in College Park.
Diamond Miller started this game and it was great to see just how dynamic her and Ashley Owusu are together in the backcourt. Add Reese to that and the trio greatly impacted this game on both ends of the floor. As Miller continues to return to form, Maryland will look to lean on these three to lead them going forward.
The Nittany Lions were led by Makenna Marisa’s 29 points, she would end up shooting 12-of-22 from the floor thanks to a hot second half. Leilani Kapinus had 12 points and four rebounds, while Virginia native Shay Hagans added 10 points and three assists.
The Terrapins had five players in double figures, led by Miller's 24 points. Diamond also had four rebounds, four assists and three steals. Ashley Owusu had 20 points, five assists, four rebounds and two steals. Shyanne Sellers added 17 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals off the bench. Angel Reese had another double-double, 15 points and 14 rebounds along with two blocks. Chole Bibby had 12 points and two steals.
Maryland got out to a fast start, going up 6-0 early. The game was stagnant for a bit in the opening period with the score 12-7. Maryland went on an 8-0 run which was fueled by their defense. The five on the floor during that spurt were Miller-Owusu-Reese-Collins-Sellers and they used their length to change the game.
Penn State was able to stay close for a while in the first half in part to their rebounding, especially on the offensive glass. Those extra possessions led to cleaner looks than on the original possession.
As the first half wound down, Maryland made another push. They stacked consecutive stops to get out and run. They were flying all over the court, having Miller and Sellers on the floor together is just pure chaos for opponents. The Terps ability to switch se
emed to wear the Nittany Lions down a bit. Whether it was blocking shots, altering them or discouraging them with their ball pressure, the Terps were forcing turnovers and capitalizing off of them. Of the 53 first half points, 15 came directly off of turnovers.
Penn State got off to a good start in the third quarter as Makenna Marisa would get loose. She hit four of her five shots in the period, scoring 10 points. The problem for the Nittany Lions is that they weren’t able to get stops so the teams were exchanging baskets. It was a back an forth affair for the first five minutes.
A timeout was called by Penn State with 4:59 left in the period, clearly defense was discussed in the Maryland huddle as they responded with a 9-0 run over the next 2:02 of play.
Things went the way of the first half of the third quarter in the fourth, teams exchanging baskets.
Up Next Maryland hits the road to take on Minnesota.
Thoughts/Takeaways
Defense: That was the difference in this game, when Maryland was locked in they sprinted away from Penn State. Forcing turnovers, getting out in transition and scoring. They forced 20 turnovers, scoring 26 points off of them. In the first half, the Terps held the Nittany Lions to 33% and 41% shooting from the floor. The challenge now is extending that effort to four quarters or as close to four as possible.
Terp Trio: - Owusu: Assertive Ashley in this one, she had the midrange jumper going. Got to the basket a bit and even had the three-ball working. When it’s going like that, there’s no way to stop her. With Reese and now Miller on the floor, she has more space to attack. She also did a good job using her size to hit the offensive glass.
Reese: She didn’t have a great
night shooting the ball, but she was great on the glass. She had nine rebounds in the first quarter, she was outstanding on the defensive end. There was a sequence in which she was on Marisa in space and came up with a block twice. She got going offensively late in the game, but it was fun to see her out there with the other two.
Miller - It’s great watching her get back in form. Her being back on the court does so much for Maryland on both ends. Another scorer, another facilitator, a great defender. All of that was on display tonight, obviously played some minutes against Indiana but looked more like herself as a starter against Penn State. Her activity sparked her team at times not the defensive end and with her on the floor you can’t double Angel or Ashley as much. If you do, youre leaving someone who deserves to be doubled alone.
Sellers Steps Up: The freshman had a big impact on the defensive end of the floor. Her activity and energy was infectious at times, she also got it going on the offensive end. When she’s right, that’s yet another player that can stress a defense on every level. With Faith out for the year with an ACL injury, Maryland is going to need these types of performances.