No. 18 Maryland vs No. 11 Duke | NCAA Women's Basketball | 11.10.24

WBA Tip Jar: https://linktr.ee/WomensBasketballAll...

This channel is independently run and is not monetized—we do not claim copyright on any video content featured here. Our purpose is solely to promote and celebrate the incredible talent and dedication of these young women. As vocal advocates for the empowerment of female athletes, we hope you enjoy and support this journey with us!

________________________________________________________


COLLEGE PARK, MD – In a historic renewed rivalry between No. 18 Maryland women's basketball and No. 11 Duke, Maryland came out on top, 85-80, at XFINITY Center on Sunday. This was the Terps' first matchup against the Blue Devils since they defeated Duke, 65-55, in the NCAA Sweet 16 on March 28, 2015.

The Terps opened the game with nine unanswered points while forcing the Blue Devils to miss their first five shots from the floor. They remained in control the rest of the way, leading by as many as 15 early in the fourth.

The Terps improved to 3-0, while the Blue Devils were handed their first loss of the season and faltered to 2-1. The win was Maryland's first ranked win of the season and the Terps' 96th under head coach Brenda Frese. It scored a season-high in points (85) and is now 94-7 when scoring 80 points or more over the last six seasons.

Maryland had four scorers reach double figures. Kaylene Smikle made a big impression on offense as the game's leading scorer. She scored 23 points on 3-of-3 shooting from beyond the arch. It was her second game in a row scoring more than 20 points.


Shyanne Sellers had an all-around stat sheet-filling performance. She scored 17 points, dished out seven assists and grabbed five rebounds. Bri McDaniel added 15 points, including 11 in the second half.

Christina Dalce also significantly impacted the game, scoring 12 points, grabbing 14 rebounds and blocking a shot. She earned her double-double in the third quarter, the 17th of her career. She now has two double-doubles as a Terp in three games. She contributed to Maryland outrebounding Duke 45-40.

This was Maryland's 82nd matchup all-time against Duke. Both schools are now tied at 41 wins apiece in the head-to-head series. The Terps' most significant victory against the Blue Devils in the series was on April 4, 2006, when Maryland beat top-seeded Duke, 78-75, in overtime to win the 2006 national title.

Frese's Take
"That was a lot of fun," head coach Brenda Frese said. "What a great battle of two really talented teams. Special to be able to bring this rivalry back for our fans and women's basketball fans in general. I thought we came out with a really strong start with that nine-zero run. I thought you saw the confidence and just fearless. We really felt like rebounding and turnovers were going to be big keys for this game, and knowing that they're a really strong defensive team as well."

Sellers On What Impressed Her
"I wish I could say I'm surprised, but I'm not," Shyanne Sellers said. "One of the most fearless groups I've ever been a part of in my four years here. It's just amazing. We've bought into the process. We bought into each other. I don't think many people would be able to pull this off with 10 new people on their team. We just did a hell of a job this offseason of getting the right people."

Breaking Down The Action
The Terps opened the game with nine unanswered points, forcing the Blue Devils to miss their first five shots from the floor.
Maryland led 11-7 at the first-quarter media timeout. The first five minutes of play were highlighted by two mid-range jumpers by Shyanne Sellers, a 3-pointer by Kaylene Smikle and a massive block by Christina Dalce.
Maryland led 21-13 at the end of the first. Smikle led all players with seven points, but Dalce had the most significant impact with six points and seven rebounds.
The Blue Devils facilitated a quiet 6-0 run to trail by four points, but Saylor Poffenbarger drilled a 3-pointer to lead 29-22 at 7:29 in the second.
Maryland sparked a 6-0 run in one minute just before halftime. Bri McDaniel scored back-to-back buckets, and defensively, the Terps forced the Blue Devils to shoot one for their last seven from the floor.
The Terrapins led 40-33 at halftime. Sellers led with 11 points, and Smikle flanked with 10. They also led 28-20 on the boards as a team.
Smikle connected on another 3-pointer at 6:41 in the third, and the Terps led 45-36. She was a perfect 3-of-3 from beyond the arch.
A layup by McDaniel on the fastbreak at 2:59 gave the Terps a 12-point lead. It was Maryland's largest lead of the game up to that point, and the Terps made their last three shots from the floor.
Duke ignited a 7-0 run to cut the lead to single digits. However, McDaniel converted an and-1 to give Maryland an 11-point margin with 5:28 to play.
Sarah Te-Biasu scored a clutch layup to put Maryland back ahead by double figures with 1:13 left in the game, and the Terps closed out the victory from the free-throw line.