In a strange way, if it was possible for a women’s basketball game to achieve instant classic status for an ESPN rebroadcast Thursday night’s battle between the top ranked UConn Huskies and the third ranked Maryland Terrapins would almost certainly qualify. The strangeness of that statement comes because the outcome of the game was never really in doubt but this was a well-played game with Connecticut landing punch after punch trying to knockout a game Maryland squad that landed some serious counter punches of their own before succumbing to an 87-81 decision.
Dynamic play from freshmen Destiny Slocum who topped Maryland with 23 points and seven assists and Kaila Charles, who poured in 18 points of her own with an able assist from Brionna Jones who registered a double double with 19 points and 13 rebounds allowed the Terps to nearly overcome subpar shooting performances from Shatori Walker-Kimbrough and Kristen Confroy who were a combined 0-7 from beyond the arc.
Showing why they are champions, UConn threw the first punch on the night jumping out to leads of 7-0 and 9-2 before Maryland countered with an 8-1 run of their own to knot the score at ten. However, the Huskies immediately went on the offensive scoring eight straight and closing the first quarter up 20-12.
This punch might have wobbled the Terps a bit but they and Coach Brenda Frese used the break to rally their strength and four and a half minutes into the second period, Maryland was within one at 22-21. A short jumper by Charles tied the score at 27 and brought the sellout crowd of 17,950 – the fourth in program history – to its feet. But, as it seems they always do, Connecticut had a response as Kia Nurse completed a four point play dropping in a three pointer from the left wing while being fouled by Confroy.
The Huskies extended the lead to nine behind another Nurse three pointer but again, the Terps answered closing the half on a four point spurt to pull within 36-31 at the break.
Coming out of the break, Connecticut landed their haymaker needing just 2:37 of game time to put together a 14-0 run that included a pair of three pointers by Nurse and a second four point play coming from leading scorer Katie Lou Samuelson. It’s at this point that the Connecticut mystique typically dooms most teams. A five point halftime lead balloons to 19 before the opponent can breathe and then continues to build until it turns into 25 or 30 or more.
But Maryland has some experience to draw on. In last year’s meeting in New York, they fell behind by 12 early in the fourth quarter before closing to within four with a minute and a half to play. A timeout by Frese stopped the bleeding and the Terrapins narrowed the gap to 68-53 to close the third quarter.
The start of the fourth quarter was Maryland’s turn to punch. The Terps scored the period’s first eight points again bringing the crow to their feet when Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma called timeout after watching the lead dwindle to 68-61 with seven and a half minutes to play.
Running their offense with its typical precision, the Huskies got an open look for Samuelson who promptly dropped in her fourth three pointer of the night immediately pushing the lead back into double digits. The teams traded blows until a three pointer by Slocum brought the Terrapins within five with 3:45 remaining.
Again trading jabs, Slocum’s layup had Maryland within six with 1:14 to play when, in a case of déjà vu, Sanaya Chong, just as she had in New York last year, swished a three pointer from the corner to effectively seal the game with 48 seconds left.
Although they fell just a bit short tonight, Maryland put up more points against Connecticut than any other team this season and the Terps did that while shooting a dismal 5-20 from three. The last time the Huskies allowed an opponent to score 80 points was in a 91-81 win over Notre Dame on December 5, 2015.
One final element bears watching. Tonight may have been the night that Destiny Slocum claimed ownership of this team. If so, we fans can hope that the team adopts the personality of its leader because Slocum is all heart and has no fear. That will bode well come March.
Blog from Todd Carton
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