Nov. 12, 2005

Box Score |  Quotes

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - No. 14/14 Maryland women's basketball opened the 2005-06 season with an 87-75 exhibition win over the EA Sports All-Stars on Saturday night at Comcast Center. Making her first appearance in a Terrapin uniform, freshman Kristi Toliver had a game-high 25 points, while sophomore Laura Harper, who was playing her first game in a Terrapin jersey in 11 months, had a double-double with 14 points and 16 rebounds.

The Terps came out hot, shooting 57.1 percent in the first half. Freshman Marissa Coleman's (Cheltenham, Md./St. John's College [D.C.]) jumper with 14:28 left in the half gave Maryland an early 16-2 advantage. The teams traded baskets over the next couple of minutes. Rebecca Richman's layup brought the lead to 22-10 with 12:44 remaining but the Terps pushed the lead back up and were ahead by as many as 18 points with nine minutes to go in the half, 34-16. EA Sports was within 12 points, once again, on a Brittany Jackson three pointer with 4:39 to go, but Maryland's 11-3 run to close the half, gave it a 53-33 lead at the break.

Toliver netted 14 points in the first half to lead all scorers, knocking down 4-of-6 three pointers.

In the second half, the Terps matched the 20-point margin on several occasions, that last coming on another Toliver trey with 15:49 left to play in the game, 61-41. The All-Stars began chipping away, eventually going on a 13-0 run over a three-minute span to get within 76-72 with just over four minutes to go. However, Maryland worked its lead back up to double digits with a 7-1 run of their own, to lead 83-73 with just under two minutes left in the game. EA Sports would not get closer than eight points the rest of the way, as Toliver scored the final four points of the game, all from the free throw line, giving the Terps the 87-75 victory.

Sophomore Crystal Langhorne (Willingboro, N.J./Willingboro) had eight points and eight rebounds, while freshman Coleman also contributed eight points. Toliver finished the game going 5-for-9 from beyond the arc, helping the team to a 38.9 shooting percentage from three.

Yolanda Paige had 16 points for EA Sports, while Shanika Freeman (13 points, 10 rebounds) and Courtney McDaniel (12 points and 15 rebounds) both had double-doubles.

Maryland officially opens the season at Siena on Friday, Nov. 18 at 7 p.m. The team returns to College Park for its home opener on Sunday, Nov. 20 at 2 p.m.

-TERPS-