For the third time this season, the Maryland women’s basketball team will have to discover their identity as a team and they took the first step scratching out a 74-70 win over the scrappy Indiana Hoosiers in College Park Tuesday night. Preseason practice typically lays the foundation of a team’s chemistry but it’s the heat of competition that truly forges a team’s identity. The team Maryland would become began to emerge in the Terrapins first 12 games.
In the thirteenth game, midseason transfer Eleanna Christinaki became eligible and the team had to reshape itself to adjust to this new piece. Just as that team began taking its shape, sophomore guard Blair Watson, who was not only the Terps’ top perimeter defender but appeared well on her way to shattering Maryland’s record for most three pointers by a sophomore, tore her ACL the day before Maryland’s game against Michigan State. The disruption resulted in an 82-68 home loss to the Spartans.
The Terps had four days to prepare for the Indiana Hoosiers who came to the Xfinity Center with a deceptively underwhelming 8-11 record. Despite their losing record, the Hoosiers were ranked 75 in RPI because they have played the nation’s fourth toughest schedule.
Maryland jumped out to a 4-0 lead behind some inspired and aggressive play from Stephanie Jones prompting a quick timeout by Indiana coach Teri Moren. The Hoosiers settled in and knotted the score at five all but a pair of baskets that included the first of three three pointer by Kristen Confroy gave Maryland a five point lead that they held to the end of the quarter.
The second quarter was a different story as Indiana began to find some holes in Maryland’s defense and managed to shoot a blistering 70 percent for the quarter including 4 of six from behind the arc. The Hoosiers grabbed their first lead at 26-25 with two and a half minutes to play in the half. The Terrapins, meanwhile, struggled to find a rhythm on offense with possessions frequently devolving to one on one drives and forced shots. Sophomore Kaila Charles was 1-6 while Christinaki made none of her five shots.
However, Maryland benefitted from a dozen first half Indiana turnovers that kept the visitors from building a larger lead and the Terps were able to go into halftime with the score tied at 33 thanks to a buzzer beating three pointer by freshman guard Channise Lewis.
Indiana continued their inspired play coming out of the break expanding their edge on the boards and doing plenty of damage from behind the arc where they made four of their seven attempts. However, both Charles who finished with a game high 16 points and Christinaki who added nine, settled in and began finding their range. Neither team was able to wrest control of the game but the visitors gained a 56-52 lead on the strength of back to back three point shots to end the period.
A three point shot by Amanda Cahill to open the final quarter gave Indiana their largest lead of the game at 59-52. The Terps manage to scrap back and take a 67-65 lead on a put back by Jones who finished the night with 13 points and nine rebounds. Though Indiana retook the lead behind a three point shot on their next possession, the Terps closed the game on a 7-2 run with Christinaki sealing the win by making one of two free throws with 9.7 seconds left.
The Terps return to the court Monday night when they host the Ohio State Buckeyes who will be coming off an 84-75 home loss to the Michigan Wolverines. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 pm and the game will be broadcast on ESPN2.
ckstevenson
Test
· 11/12/2019