No. 24 Maryland Women's Basketball tops Siena in Home Opener, 73-52

Nov. 21, 2004

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Sophomore Shay Doron scored 21 points to lead the No. 24/24 Maryland women's basketball team to a 73-52 win over Siena in the team's home opener. Freshman Laura Harper posted her first-career double-double as the Terps move to 2-0 on the season.

After a three-pointer from Katelyn Dooley gave the Saints a 3-2 lead, a Kalika France (Forestville, Md./Bishop McNamara) fastbreak layup gave the advantage back to the Terps who never looked back.

The Terrapins could not shake Siena (0-1) who were close behind for much of the game. A pair of free throws from Dooley tied the ball game at 10-10, but Maryland's 17-5 run, capped by another France layup with 5:43 to go in the half, put it ahead, 27-15. Senior Anesia Smith's (Alexandria, Va./Hayfield) free throws at 2:31 gave Maryland its biggest advantage of the half, 32-19. The Saints cut the lead to within nine points with less than a minute to play, but Doron (Great Neck, N.Y./Christ the King) closed out the half sinking three free throws, giving Maryland a 35-23 lead heading into the locker room.

Doron, who has scored in double figures in the last seven games dating back to last season, led all scorers with 16 at the break.

Maryland had struggled in the paint in the first half but was determined to reclaim its inside presence. After having been outrebounded, 22-14, in the first stanza, the Terps held a 23-18 edge on the boards in the second period, including 14 offensive rebounds, and outscored the Saints, 22-10, from inside. Leading the way was Harper who grabbed 10 en route to 14 boards for the contest.

In the second half, the Saints still refused to go away, cutting the Maryland lead to single digits on a number of occasions in the first 11 minutes. A Michelle Blot trey at 10:11 brought Siena to within 47-40, but the Terps responded with a decisive 17-5 tear. France's layup with 4:05 left on the clock put the Terps out in front, 62-45, a lead that never went below 15 points for the duration of the game.

After a Maryland time out, freshman Ashleigh Newman (Shelbyville, Tenn./Shelbyville Central) knocked down a three-pointer to put the Terrapins on top, 67-49, with less than two minutes to play. Smith was then perfect from the charity stripe, going 6-for-6, in the final 1:26 to lock up the victory.

Doron had career-highs of seven assists and five steals to accompany her game-high 21 points. France ended the game with 15 points and seven rebounds. Harper also chipped in 12 points.

Dooley led Siena with 15 points on 6-for-13 shooting.

Maryland, who forced 26 Siena turnovers in the game, scoring 32 points on those opportunities, faces an early challenge when it travels to the Coors Classic next week in Boulder, Colo. The Terps play second-ranked LSU in a rematch of last season's NCAA Tournament second-round matchup on Friday, Nov. 26 at 7 p.m. ET. The Terrapins then take on either host Colorado or Pennsylvania on Saturday, Nov. 27 at 7 or 9 p.m. ET.

-- TERPS --

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