One Terrapin basketball team did more than enough to extend its postseason life Friday night.
Oh, and the men’s team did pretty well last night, too.
Before a smattering of Terp fans squeezing in some bonus basketball at Comcast Center before Greivis Vasquez and Co. took the floor in Spokane, Wash., the Terp women opened what they hope will be a WNIT title run with an 88-53 romp of Iona Friday night.
Their success came a little easier than their male counterparts. The team hit 12 of its first 18 3-pointers and shot 54 percent to the Gaels’ 31 percent for a win that didn’t take long to materialize.
The Terps (20-12) will host East Carolina in a second-round matchup Sunday at a time to be determined.
“Like I told them, we’ve probably had our best week of practice,” said coach Brenda Frese. “We’ve spent a lot of time in the gym, taking shots, so I think that pays off. I thought every single player stepped up and shot the ball with a lot of confidence.”
Friday, none did it better than guard Kim Rodgers.
With each swish from deep over the Gaels (18-14), any memories of her recent three-game stretch of 12 combined points seemed to melt away. Rodgers’ white-hot second-half shooting — she hit her first five treys and missed only one overall — pushed a 15-point halftime advantage to a 33-point runaway midway through the second half.
Five other Terps connected from deep, and all but center Essence Townsend graced the scoreline in their blowout.
“We started clicking in the second part of the first half, as well as the second half,” Frese said. “I just liked the unselfishness that we displayed on the offensive end, just getting so many players involved.”
Frese has often declared her desire to mentor and develop this current team for as long as possible. And while the WNIT isn’t the NCAA Tournament, which the Terps had advanced to for the last six seasons, Friday’s lopsided result might just indicate she could have a while longer to work with them.
The Gaels shot just 26 percent from inside the arc, and their frequent airballs were easy targets for the few Terp faithful who still cared enough to jeer or cheer.
As a top seed in the 64-team tournament, the Terps may never have to leave College Park in the foreseeable future. Unlike the NIT, which hosts its semifinals and finals in New York’s Madison Square Garden, the WNIT offers higher-seeded teams the option to host games from the opening rounds to the championship showdown — if they can get there.
“It’s exciting for me and I know it’s exciting for my teammates just as another opportunity to compete and step on to the basketball court,” said center Lynetta Kizer, who finished with nine points and nine rebounds in 19 minutes. “Some people don’t get invited to the WNIT, it’s just exciting for us pretty much. We still have a championship to win.”