Box Score MADISON, Wisc. – Maryland is ahead of schedule in the Big Ten.
The preseason favorites to win the league locked up a share of the regular-season title and the top seed in the conference tournament by beating Wisconsin 81-70 on Thursday night for the Terrapins' 18th straight win.
That's one big goal checked off the to-do list with three games still left in the inaugural year of Big Ten play for No. 5 Maryland (24-2, 15-0).
"Really proud of this group. It's not an easy task when you're talking about, as you can see, going on the road and playing in so many different venues, especially first in the new conference," coach Brenda Frese said, "and then being consistent to be able to get wins even when you have an off night."
Brionna Jones had 20 points and 15 rebounds, Shatori Walker-Kimbrough scored 17 points, while Lexie Brown added 15 points and seven assists for the Terrapins.
Wisconsin (8-17, 4-11) trailed by as much as 17 in the first half before hitting three 3s in the opening 5 minutes of the second half to help cut the lead. Jacki Gulczynski had two 3s during the 16-6 run after halftime.
Maryland held off Wisconsin from there, getting a lift from Jones' inside play.
"Their sagging defense kind of gave us a little trouble. Once we figured it out, we took off and our offensive game picked up and we just started getting stops," Brown said said.
Jones, a 6-foot-3 center, went 3 of 5 from the field the rest of the way to finish with her 10th double-double of the year.
The Terps benefited from a fast start, forcing five turnovers in the first 10 minutes to build a 13-point lead. Maryland pounced on virtually every mistake during that stretch, helping to build a 28-13 edge in points off turnovers for the night.
The Terps have won 18 straight games since the beginning of December. Maryland won a school-record 24-straight games from the end of the 2005-06 season through the beginning of the 2006-07 season.
The Terps are 59-29 (.670) all-time against their 2014-15 Big Ten opponents. Maryland has won 24 straight games against Big Ten teams, dating back to 2007. In the 13 years under Frese, the Terps are 27-4 (.871) against their new conference opponents. Frese is 39-10 (.796) all-time vs. Big Ten opponents, which includes her time at Minnesota (2001-02) and at Ball State (1999-01).
Next, the Terrapins will host their annual Play 4 Kay Pink Game at Monday's 7 p.m. game vs. Penn State at XFINITY Center.
For tickets to Monday's game, log on to the Terrapin Ticket Office online at umterps.com or call 1-800-IM-A-TERP. Parking will be free and open in all of the lots surrounding XFINITY Center.
The Terrapins will celebrate survivors with a halftime recognition and complimentary admission, and will also host a Cut-A-Thon and an Under Armour Power in Pink silent auction. For more on the Terps' Play 4 Kay Pink Game events, log on to http://www.umterps.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=29700&ATCLID=209894780.
The Maryland-Penn State matchup will be televised around the world on the Big Ten Network, BTN2Go.com and the BTN2Go app. Fans outside the U.S. can log on to http://international.btn2go.com/ to watch and will need a subscription.
Live stats will be available and live updates will be available on the Maryland Women's Basketball Twitter feed.
Monday's game is one of five on the radio and can be heard on WJZ 1300 AM (Baltimore), SportsTalk 570 AM (DC), WARK 1490 AM (Hagerstown), WFRB 560 AM (Cumberland) and WFMD 930 AM (Frederick).
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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