Hey folks, I have a brief interruption of Eric Detweiler’s tales from blue-turfed Boise with a recap of today’s women’s basketball game against UNC-Asheville.
It wasn’t the Terps’ best effort, but it was more than good enough. The No. 14 Terps looked sluggish through most of the first half and were without starting point guard and leading scorer Kristi Toliver, who sat on the bench in warm up clothes because she violated an unspecified team rule.
The Terps weren’t hitting open jump shots, players missed layups and despite having a significant size advantage at almost every position, they were actually trailing the Bulldogs (3-7) 21-20 with 6:32 remaining. After a timeout by coach Brenda Frese, they went on a 13-0 run and took a 39-28 lead into the locker room at halftime.
The Terps started much sharper in the second half, hitting two 3-pointers in an opening 8-0 run to take command. Guard Marah Strickland led the team in scoring with a career-high 21 points, and center Lynetta Kizer contributed 18 points and nine rebounds in the Terps’ first game since beating James Madison on Dec. 21.
“I think you’ve got to get yourself in a little bit of rhythm,” Frese said. “That’s the biggest thing, is we just needed to settle down and get into a rhythm. But I think the break is actually great- you’re tired, you’re coming off of finals, you mentally and physically need a break and I really think the last five minutes of the first half and the final 20 we were back to ourselves.”
Tomorrow’s game against Mississippi State (Game 2 for the Terps in the “Terrapin Classic”) won’t be as easy. These Bulldogs sport an 11-0 record and, judging from their win against Marshall in Game 1 of today’s action, they also have the size and athleticism to match up well with the Terps. Toliver will be back for tomorrow’s game, according to Frese.
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