Dec. 4, 2011

Box Score |  Quotes |  Photo Gallery 

WASHINGTON - Alyssa Thomas led five Terrapins who scored in double figures with her 17 points, as No. 6 Maryland cruised to a 76-42 victory over American on Sunday.

Laurin Mincy added 13 points for the Terrapins (9-0), Lynetta Kizer had 11, and Anjale Barrett and Brene Moseley had 10 apiece.

The Terps gave up a season-low points on defense and continued their best start since beginning the 2007-08 season, when the Terps won their first 10 games.

Gelesia George scored 10 points for American (5-4), which shot just 30 percent (16 of 54) from the floor and 9 percent (2 of 22) from 3-point range.

Maryland showed little sign of a hangover after arguably their toughest victory this season, Wednesday's 74-65 home win against Michigan in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Maryland trailed American 3-2 after the first media timeout, but shook off the slow start to build a 38-16 lead by halftime.

Thomas, who had a season-high 24 points in the victory over Michigan, jump-started the Terps' offense against AU with eight of its first 12 points. She also scored twice during a 12-0, late-first-half run, capping the stretch with a steal and layup that made it 38-14. She distributed four assists, including a slick give-and-go feed to Brene Moseley that made it 54-23 early in the second half.

Moseley led the Terps with five assists, who had 16 overall vs. their 13 turnovers.

Maryland outrebounded American, 42-29. Alicia DeVaughn led the Terrapins with nine boards. Seven Terps pulled down four or more rebounds. The Terrapins scored 42 points in the paint to American's 18.

The Terrapins continue a month of December that won't take them beyond the Washington, D.C. metro area when they host Delaware State Thursday before traveling to George Mason next Sunday.

If they win both those contests, they will surpass the 2007-08 team that went to the NCAA regional final, the first Maryland squad to reach that stage after coach Brenda Frese's team won the 2006 national title.

Next, the Terrapins will welcome Delaware State (2-5) to Comcast Center for a 7 p.m. game Thursday. Hawkins will play against her twin sister, Tierra, who is the Hornets' leading scorer and rebounder. For tickets, log on to the Terrapin Ticket Office online at umterps.com or call 1-800-IM-A-TERP.

Fans will be able to watch the Maryland-Delaware State game live on TerpsTV Premium, which is a subscription service that offers exclusive video and audio content. The service is available for an annual subscription price of $79.95 or a monthly subscription of $9.95 per month.

Maryland is ranked No. 6 in the latest Associated Press rankings, released Monday, and No. 7 in the ESPN/USA Division I Top 25 Coaches' poll, released Tuesday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.