PISCATAWAY, NJ -- The No. 8 Maryland women's basketball team used a balanced attack to beat the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in its Big Ten opener, 73-59, on Sunday afternoon at Jersey Mike's Arena. The Terps (8-2, 1-0 Big Ten) had four different players in double figures and were able to fend off a late rally from a scrappy Scarlet Knights team. 

After Rutgers cut the Maryland lead to 56-52 with just over seven minutes remaining, the Terps used a 7-0 run to retake control of the game and down the Scarlet Knights. Freshman Shyanne Sellers made two free throws, made a jumper, then grabbed a steal in the stretch.

Angel Reese led Maryland in scoring with 18 points to go along with six rebounds.

Along with Reese, Katie Benzan (15 points), Chloe Bibby (14 points), and Ashley Owusu (12 points) all scored in double figures. Mimi Collins also chipped in eight points. 

The Terps forced 19 turnovers and managed to score 23 points off of them. Maryland also dominated at the free throw line, hitting 20 from the line compared to just nine for Rutgers.


Brenda Frese's Take
"We're excited to  be able to get our first win in conference. Like it typically is, Rutgers played really, really hard. I thought they competed for 40 minutes. They were physical, they were aggressive, they beat us on the glass. They really slowed the tempo down for us. We were fortunate to be able to come out with a win. We made some big plays. We were led by these guys up here [Shyanne Sellers, Chloe Bibby, Angel Reese]. I thought they were really competitive an aggressive. I thought Shy grew up as a freshman, made some big plays for us down the stretch in the fourth quarter. But a lot of areas for us to continue to keep growing and improving. I love the fact that we got to the free throw line 27 times. Every game is going to be this competitive in the league."

Double Figure Update

• Reese (18 points) has scored in double-figures in nine of 10 games this season and now has 17 career games in double-figures. 
• Benzan (15 points) hit double-figures for the 87th time in her career and fifth this year.
• Bibby (14 points) hit double-figures for the sixth time this season and 57th time in her career. 
• Owusu (12 points) scored in double-figures for the 58th time in her career, including all 10 games this season.

Breaking Down The Action

• Benzan knocked down the first two shots of the game, both being three-pointers, giving Maryland an early cushion. Maryland would end the quarter up 18-16 thanks to Benzan's six points and four apiece from Collins and Bibby. 
• The Terps started the second quarter on an 8-0 run, building a 26-16 lead with 7:55 left in the half. After being held to zero points in the first quarter, Owusu scored six in the second to lift Maryland to a 38-23 lead at the half. 
• Rutgers tried to cut into the Maryland lead in the second half, making it as small as 50-42 with 2:32 remaining, and ultimately 52-44 heading into the final 10 minutes. 
• The Terps lead was cut to 56-52 with 7:14 remaining, but a 7-0 run got the lead back up to double digits (63-52) with 4:20 left. Maryland used clutch baskets from Reese and good free-throw shooting to close out the win.

Series History

• Maryland is 29-12 all-time vs. Rutgers and has won 10 of 11 meetings since both teams joined the Big Ten.
• The Terps took last year's meeting, 91-87, on Dec. 14 in Piscataway. Mimi Collins led five Terrapins in double figures with 22 points. Chloe Bibby added 15 points and 11 boards.

B1G Success

• Since joining the Big Ten in 2014-15, the Terrapins are 129-15 (.896) vs. their conference opponents
• Maryland has won 14 straight games against Big Ten opponents, including their three wins in the Big Ten Tournament last year.

 

Up Next 

• The Terps will return home for their Big Ten opener as they take on the Purdue Boilermakers Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the XFINITY Center. 
• The game will be streamed on B1G Plus and can be heard on the Maryland Sports Radio Network.