No. 10 Maryland women’s basketball handily defeated Toledo, 92-70, Sunday to finish 2-0 at the Navy Classic in Annapolis, Maryland.
The win moved the Terps to 8-0 on the season, giving them their best start in six years.
Here are three takeaways from the victory.
Efficient offense
The key to Maryland’s victory was the level at which it executed its offensive game plan.
The Terps set a new season-high in field goal percentage, shooting 60.3% from the floor, and that was while having one of their worst games from beyond the arc, going 2 for 13. The Terps shot more than 70% from 2-point range and were living around the rim, where their advantage over the Rockets was strongest. Maryland scored 70 of its points in the paint.
“Every opponent is different in what we can take advantage of, and I think today we had the post advantage,” Saylor Poffenbarger said.
Poffenbarger led the way with 19 points and 10 rebounds, going 6-of-8 from 2-point range and scoring some easy layups at the rim.
The Terps efficiency helped them dominate, despite a strong offensive performance from Toledo, who shot 45.3% from the field and 35.3% from beyond the arc. The Rockets were especially hot early, shooting 75% from the field in the first quarter.
“I thought in the first half, both teams shot it extremely well,” Maryland head coach Brenda Frese said.
Bri McDaniel was Maryland’s most efficient player, going a perfect 5 for 5 from the field and scoring 11 points, despite being in foul trouble again.
Frese utilized depth
With the Terps in a stretch of three games in four days, Frese decided to go deeper into her bench than normal.
All 10 active Maryland players saw double-digit minutes, with reserves Amari DeBerry and Ava McKennie playing first-half minutes.
DeBerry’s role especially increased, and although she was quiet offensively with just three points, she was an effective deterrent on defense, recording two blocks and affecting multiple other shots around the rim.
The team got 41 points off the bench, with Poffenbarger and McDaniel leading the way.
“Having depth shows how dangerous we can be,” Poffenbarger said. “When you sub, you don’t ever want to drop off.”
The team was without one member of its bench, as Emily Fisher was out with a concussion and freshman Kyndal Walker was still rehabbing a hand injury. Walker could potentially become a role player off Frese’s bench.
In most games Frese has used an eight-player rotation, with DeBerry and McKennie being left out.
“I told them before the game, I wanted to learn about us and see what it looked like with back-to-back days,” Frese said.
The Terps will get just one day of rest before their next matchup with Mount St. Mary’s on Tuesday night.
The Terps look upset-proof
Maryland has now made it through most of its games against mid- and low-major opponents, looking very steady.
The Terps roster is built to avoid upsets and handle business in games where they are favored, which has shown early in the season.
One of the biggest factors is their length and rebounding ability. Maryland has not been outrebounded this season, a trend which continued as they beat Toledo on the boards, 36-27. Maryland was fourth in the country in rebounding margin entering Sunday.
Mir McLean tied Poffenbarger for the team lead in rebounds, grabbing 10 against the Rockets.
Additionally, Maryland has been sound defensively, which prevents opposing teams from opening up big scoring runs. The Terps were also 20th in the country in opponent field goal percentage entering the contest.
“The ball is not always going to go in the basket for us,” Frese said. “We’ve got to be able to rely on our defense.”
Additionally, Maryland’s range of offensive weapons makes them very difficult for a lesser opponent to game plan for. The Terps currently have five players averaging more than nine points per game.
“We’re a very good offensive team, especially when we’re unselfish and sharing the basketball,” Frese said. “We know we have the scorers on this team.”
Maryland has two low-major games against Mount St. Mary’s and William & Mary left on the schedule. From there, it will be all conference play, plus a highly-anticipated matchup with No. 5 Texas.
