In the way of Maryland’s run in march, the Lady Terps had to go through one of the hottest teams in the country.
That is exactly what they did en route to an 83-56 victory over West Virginia on Sunday.
With West Virginia coming in as a very determined team and wins over Baylor and Texas in the Big 12 Tournament, the Terrapins seemingly began the tough path to Dallas and the Final Four.
The Mountaineers posed a threat with four girls over 6’4 , compared to just one Terp of that stature. Senior Lanay Montgomery said the game plan on Brionna Jones was simply “be aggressive.”
West Virginia wanted to front her and make Maryland play outside the paint.
Frese had the Terps pushing early which bit back a little as West Virginia went on a 7-0 run to take a 9-5 lead. Jones hit a layup at the buzzer to keep the deficit at four points, but it did so much more than those two points show.
The second quarter was all Maryland as they used a 28-10 run on 70 percent shooting to push out to a 35-24 lead. But Destiny Slocum didn’t think that was enough as she ended the half with one of the most incredible shots ever.
Take a look for yourself:
Let's watch that Destiny Slocum shot again!@UMDwbb #ncaaW pic.twitter.com/quBOB9oJtb
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB) March 19, 2017
After the game, Slocum said that they had practiced those kind of shots at the Big Ten Tournament, so “why not throw it up?”
Maryland spent the entire second quarter playing unstoppable basketball and having fun while doing so.
The second half was much of the same, just a bit less intensity from both teams. Coach Mike Carey gave Maryland a ton of credit as the Terrapins kept pushing until the final whistle.
The Terps finished with four players in double figures, as Jones finished with 22 points, Slocum with 21, Shatori Walker-Kimbrough with 19, and Kristen Confroy with 11 points.
Jones completed another double-double with her 22 points and11 rebounds, giving her one for each game of the NCAA Tournament so far.
Brenda Frese took a timeout with 2:03 left in the ball game to give Seniors Walker-Kimbrough and Brionna Jones a final walk off the court.
The crowd gave them a much deserved standing ovation, which Frese noted was “a beautiful way to send them out” with the atmosphere, fans, and how they played in this game and beyond.
Frese also noted this team is “different” from last year’s, which missed the Sweet 16.
Next: Three-point shooting was biggest downfall
Maryland will look to keep pushing on as they face the winner of Duke and Oregon in Bridgeport, Conn on March 25.