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University of Maryland Athletics

Kaylene Smikle Kentucky
66
Kentucky UK 7-1,0-0 SEC
74
Winner Maryland MD 8-0,0-0 Big Ten
Kentucky UK
7-1,0-0 SEC
66
Final
74
Maryland MD
8-0,0-0 Big Ten
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Kentucky UK 12 16 17 21 66
Maryland MD 21 18 21 14 74

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

No. 7 Terps Earn Statement 74-66 Win Over No. 16 Kentucky

Maryland tamed the unbeaten Wildcats as Kaylene Smikle recorded a season-high 22 points.

CAROLINA, PR — The No. 7 Terps got their time in the Discover Puerto Rico Classic started with a dominant 74-66 win over No. 16 Kentucky (7-1) on Wednesday evening. Maryland led by as much as 20 points and held off a late Kentucky push for its eighth win of the young season.

Kaylene Smikle led Maryland with a season-high 22 points, with nine of them coming from her strong day from the charity stripe. She recorded her 35th-career 20+ point game as her Terps made a statement south of the border. 

Yarden Garzon had a monster first half as the Terps claimed an early advantage. She scored 12 first-half points on 4-of-4 shooting from three-point range to give the Terps an 11-point lead at the half. She finished with a season-high 17 points in the win. 

The Terps used a 10-0 run in the first quarter to build a lead and never looked back as Addi Mack recorded a 15-point day — her fifth straight double-digit game. Saylor Poffenbarger added 10 second-half points to keep Maryland fully in charge of the ranked clash. 

Maryland held a previously unbeaten Wildcats team that entered averaging 82 points to 66 as the Terps improved to 8-0 for the eighth time under Brenda Frese. 
How It Happened:
1st Quarter:
  • Smikle scored the Terps' first four points with a pair of layups. 
  • Garzon sank her first three in the opening minutes. 
  • Maryland went on a 10-0 run to take an early 10-2 lead. 
  • Garzon drained her second three in the closing minutes to expand the lead.
  • The Terps led 21-12 after 10 minutes of action.
2nd Quarter:
  • A Mack jumper gave Maryland its first points of the frame. 
  • Poffenbarger knocked down a jumper for her first points of the day. 
  • Smikle hit a pair of free throws to put Maryland up 29-21 midway through the quarter. 
  • Garzon added two more three-pointers as she started 4-of-4 from range. 
  • Maryland led 39-28 at the half. 
3rd Quarter:
  • Mack hit an early three to extend the lead. 
  • A Smikle three-pointer put Maryland ahead by 20.
  • Poffenbarger hit a three as the Terps gained separation.
  • Garzon hit her fifth three to create a 58-43 lead. 
  • Maryland led 60-45 entering the final quarter.
4th Quarter:
  • Mir McLean found her first points early in the quarter.
  • Smikle created a three-point play midway through the frame. 
  • Poffenbarger added a late three.
  • Maryland held on for the 74-66 win. 
Double-Digit Dominance:
  • Smikle (22 points) earned her fourth double-digit game of the season and the 72nd of her career. 
  • Garzon (17 points) scored in double figures for a third straight game, the fifth time this season and a 69th time in her career. 
  • Mack (15 points) has posted five straight double-digit games in her freshman season. 
  • Poffenbarger (12 points) recorded her fourth 10+ point performance of the season and the 43rd of her career.
History Of The Matchup:
  • Wednesday's meeting between the Terps and Wildcats was just the second all-time clash between the two programs. 
  • Maryland grabbed an 83-82 win over Kentucky in the previous meeting in 1981.
Numbers to Know:
  • 1: Maryland picked up its first ranked win of the season.'
  • 8: The Terps are 8-0 for the eighth time under Frese.
  • 21: Maryland was 21-for-23 (91.3%) from the free-throw line in the win. 
  • 50: Garzon was 5-of-10 (50%) from three-point range. 
  • 66: Maryland held a Kentucky team averaging 82 points per game to 66 on Wednesday.
Up Next:
  • Maryland wraps up its week in Puerto Rico with a Thanksgiving meeting with Hofstra on Nov. 27. The game will start at 3 PM and air on FLO Hoops.
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