PISCATAWAY, NJ — No. 1 seed Maryland women's lacrosse took home its fourth Big Ten Tournament championship with an 18-8 victory over Rutgers on Sunday. After a back-and-forth first half, the Terps overpowered the Scarlet Knights over the second 30 minutes — going on a 12-0 scoring run from down 7-5 to up 17-7.

The Terps (17-1) head into the NCAA Tournament as the No. 3-ranked team in the nation. The NCAA Tournament bracket will be revealed on Sunday night at 9 p.m. on ESPNU.

Maryland's win on Sunday is also the 300th for head coach Cathy Reese. The Maryland alumna has a 300-33 career record in her 16 years leading the program.

"What a day for the Terps. I am so proud of my group," said head coach Cathy Reese. "We started a little slow and hesitant all over the field in the first half, credit to Rutgers for coming out strong. I am really pleased with how we came out in the second half. Defensively we were all over the place, we were excellent on the draw control and offensively we shared the ball really well, found some good openings and shot the ball really well in the second half. Congrats to our 2022 Terps for winning the Big Ten Regular Season and Tournament Championships which was one of our goals this season. Really, really proud of this group." 

Aurora Cordingley totaled nine points, scoring four goals and adding five assists, rising up to fifth on the single season points list with 111. Libby May netted five goals and also collected an assist.  Eloise Clevenger had a pair of goals and four assists as well.

Abby Bosco won nine draws, Shaylan Ahearn won seven and Shannon Smith controlled four. Emily Sterling made four saves in goal.

Cordingley was named the Big Ten Tournament MVP after totaling 16 points (six goals, 10 assists) over two games). Bosco, Grace Griffin, Hannah Leubecker and Libby May joined Cordingley on the All-Tournament Team.

Breaking Down The Action

• Goals from Hannah Leubecker and Libby May gave the Terps a 2-0 lead in the first three minutes. Rutgers' attack came out firing as well, and the Scarlet Knights held a 4-3 lead after the first quarter.
• Grace Griffin and Aurora Cordingley brought Maryland closer early in the second quarter as both sides continued trading goals throughout the period. With Maryland and Rutgers headed to halftime knotted up at seven.
• Maryland came out of halftime hot. May, Eloise Clevenger and Leubecker registered goals over the first 3:20 of the third quarter, quickly giving the Terps a 10-7 lead. Shannon Smith added one to give Maryland a four-goal lead. Clevenger, May, Cordingley and Leubecker followed, giving the Terps a 15-7 lead as they continued a 10-0 scoring run.
• Leubecker and May added more early in the fourth. Since the second quarter, Rutgers didn't score again until Naslonski found the back of the cage with 5:25 left in the fourth quarter. Cordingley added one more in the last two minutes as the Terps emerged victorious, 18-8. 

Three hundred for Cathy Reese!

• This was Coach Reese's 300th victory at the helm of Maryland women's lacrosse.
• She's in her 16th season as head coach of her alma mater, at which he holds a 300-33 record.
• This is her 22nd conference championship. She's also won five national championships and has reached 11 Final Fours.

B1G Success

• This is the Terps' fourth Big Ten tournament title and their first since 2018.
• Maryland is now 8-0 against Big Ten teams this season. 
• Over its eight seasons in the league, Maryland has a 52-8 overall record.

Numbers to Know

• 3: It was the third time Libby May scored five or more goals in a game this season.
• 3: It was the third time this year that Cordingley recorded nine or more points.
• 10: It's the 10th conference tournament title for head coach Cathy Reese, who took over in 2007.
• 15: This is Maryland's 15th conference tournament championship in program history. 
• 300: This is Coach Reese's 300th win as the Terps' head coach.

Series History

• Maryland now holds a 23-1 all-time record against Rutgers.
• It was the second time the Terps and Scarlet Knights met in the Big Ten Tournament, after Maryland knocked them out of the 2016 semifinals with a 19-9 win.

Up Next

• The 2022 NCAA D1 women's lacrosse selection show airs Sunday night at 9 p.m.
• The first round of the tournament is set for Friday, May 13.