MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Diamond Miller scored 23 points, Chloe Bibby had 22 and No. 9 Maryland beat Minnesota 90-73 in Minneapolis on Thursday.
Katie Benzan added 20 points as the Terrapins (10-1, 6-0 Big Ten) won their ninth straight.
Jasmine Powell led Minnesota (2-7, 1-6) with 22 points and eight assists. Sara Scalia added 14 points and Klarke Sconiers chipped in 13. The Gophers have just one victory since a season-opening win over Eastern Illinois on Dec. 2.
"I thought we had a slow start," head coach Brenda Frese said. "Credit to Minnesota. I thought they came out with a lot of fire and intensity. They really shot the ball well. Obviously, we were disappointed defensively in our first half of play. Loved our response out of the locker room. I thought the third quarter was Maryland Basketball, how we know how to play. Terrific response. For us, we want to continue to play four quarters. Road wins are precious, but disappointed because I think we can play a lot better."
Leading by seven at the half, Maryland took over with a dominant third quarter. Miller rattled off seven straight points to cap a 10-0 run, and she converted a three-point play at the end of a 9-0 run later in the quarter. Benzan's fifth 3-pointer of the night gave the Terrapins a 76-57 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Miller's jump shot gave Maryland its largest lead of the night at 88-61.
In a matchup of the top offense and the bottom-ranked defense in the Big Ten, the Gophers kept it competitive with a couple of early runs, both keyed by Powell's long-range shooting. Trailing 8–2, the Gophers rattled off 11 of the next 13 points, capped Powell's 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions.
Powell hit consecutive 3s early in the second quarter as the Gophers pulled within 28-25.
The Gophers had no answer for Bibby, a 6-foot-1 senior transfer from Mississippi State. She hit a pair of 3-pointers and a short jumper to spark the Terrapins in the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Bibby scored on a putback, hit a pair of free throws and went the length of the floor with a steal for a layup as Maryland stretched its lead to 50-43 at halftime.
The Terrapins have won 23 straight Big Ten games, dating back to last Jan. 12.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Owusu was named the Naismith Trophy National Player of the Week on Tuesday after she averaged 19.7 points, 6.7 assists and 6.0 rebounds in three Maryland victories. She followed up that performance on Thursday with 11 points, five rebounds and eight assists.
BIG PICTURE
Maryland: The balanced scoring attack that has carried Maryland into the top 10 was back in form on Thursday. All five Terrapins starters average in double figures in scoring, and four of them were back in double figures against the Gophers. Benzan, who leads the Big Ten in 3-point percentage (.515 going into Thursday) went 6 for 10 from beyond the arc.
UP NEXT
Maryland will play at Wisconsin (3-6, 0-6) Sunday at 3 p.m. ET at the Kohl Center. The Terps-Badgers came will be televised on the Big Ten Network.
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