Maryland women's basketball cruise to victory over Towson

Maryland Women's Basketball vs. Towson at Xfinity Center in College Park, MD on Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (Courtesy of University of Maryland Athletics)

No. 11 Maryland Terrapins Women’s basketball defeated the Towson Tigers 98-63 at Xfinity Center early Sunday afternoon.

The Terps, coming off a victory against Syracuse, looked to extend their winning streak to five to start the season. Towson is coming off a last second loss against Morgan State, starting their season with three straight losses.

In the game where Allie Kubek scored her 1,000th career point against her former team, both teams traded buckets early before a fastbreak layup by Kubek forced the Tigers to call their first timeout of the game. Maryland smothered Towson early, not allowing them to settle in. The Terps came out blistering hot, knocking down six threes, leading to an 11-0 run with six minutes left in the quarter. The Tigers struggled to beat Maryland’s defensive press, allowing the Terps to dominate in transitions. Maryland led 33-18 after the first.

The Terps continued to roll in the second as Sarah Te-Biasu knocked down her third three of the game. As the assist leader for the game, Shayenne Sellers settled in, creating opportunities for herself and others, especially Kaylene Smikle as she led the team with twelve points midway through the second. Towson’s India Johnston added eight straight points trying to keep the Tigers in it, but as the second quarter wrapped up, the Tigers found themselves down 54-40.

The story was more of the same in the third as Maryland continued to extend the lead. The Terps led 62-43 midway through the third as the Tigers struggled to get anything going offensively. Towson’s Johnston knocked down another three to add to her game high of eighteen. Maryland closed the quarter with a 74-51 advantage.

The Terps continued to press the gas in the fourth, putting down the Tigers’ efforts. Just two minutes into the fourth, Towson called a timeout as they found themselves down thirty-two points after Smikle opened the quarter with seven straight points. As Allie Kubek scored her 1,000th career point, Maryland cruised to their fifth victory.

“We talked about wanting to come out and set the tone, which I thought we did in that first quarter,” said Maryland head coach Brenda Frese. “You have to pick your poison. I think when you’re scouting us, we’re really difficult to figure out."

Smikle finished with a game-high twenty-one points. Sellers had a double-double with ten points and ten assists. Dalce dominated the paint with a game high of ten rebounds. Maryland dominated in the paint; the Terps had a twenty-eight rebound advantage and went five blocks to one against Towson. This was a team victory for the Terps, finishing with 27 assists. They now have their sights set on St. Francis next Sunday back at the Xfinity Center.