Dec. 29, 2011
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COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
Laurin Mincy scored a career-high 25 points, Alyssa Thomas had 23, and No. 5 Maryland used a strong second half to defeat previously unbeaten and Delaware (No. 20 ESPN/USA Today, No. 19 AP) 85-76 on Thursday night in College Park.
The Terrapins (13-0) trailed 44-41 before Mincy scored nine points in a 15-2 run that put Maryland ahead by 10 with 13:51 left to play. After the Blue Hens closed to 56-50, Anjale Barrett contributed the final seven points to a 9-2 spurt that upped the margin to 13. Barrett had 16 points and eight assists, and Mincy scored 18 in the second half to help Maryland win the title game of the two-day Terrapin Classic.
The win was the Terps' 36th over a ranked team under head coach Brenda Frese.
Elena Delle Donne, the nation's leading scorer, scored 32 for the Blue Hens (10-1), who were seeking to improve on the best start in school history. Delaware is 0-10 all-time against Maryland and 3-28 versus ranked opponents. Delle Donne finished 10 for 19 from the field and made all 10 of her free throws.
"What a great collegiate game, and I thought both teams really laid it all out there on the floor," Frese said. "I'm obviously excited about our defense tonight, Elena is a special player and we made her have to work to get 32 points. But, I thought our team worked extremely hard. On the offensive end, I thought our guards really separated themselves; they were special. This was obviously special and fun to be able to watch as our team continues to grow and get better, and this is just a tremendous team win for us."
But the Terrapins simply had too much depth and height. Maryland finished with a 38-30 rebounding advantage, the first time this season Delaware was beaten on the boards.
Delaware ran off 11 straight points late in the first half, taking its second lead of the game before a follow shot by Whitney Bays put Maryland ahead 39-38 at the break.
After Thomas scored off the opening tip, the Blue Hens went up 7-6. Thomas then made a pair of baskets in a 13-4 run that put the Terps in front 19-11. The only Delaware points during the surge were scored by Delle Donne, who also committed two turnovers.
It was 24-20 before Thomas drilled a 3-pointer off a pass from Barrett and Kim Rodgers sank two foul shots. Minutes later, Thomas drove the length of the court for a layup, was fouled and added the free throw to make it 37-27.
The Terrapins beat the Blue Hens in the paint, 38-24, and 14-4 off fast break points.
Thomas was named the Terrapin Classic MVP and Mincy and Barrett joined her on the All-Tournament Team. Emily Homan of Lafayette and Delaware's Delle Donne also earned All-Tournament honors.
Next, the Terrapins open up Atlantic Coast Conference play this weekend. They will head south to take on Florida State (7-6) Monday at 7 p.m. Live stats will be available.
They will return home on Friday, Jan. 6 for an 8:30 p.m. game vs. Georgia Tech (10-3). The Terps will be teaming with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and the Team Tyler Foundation at that game for Leukemia Awareness Night.
The Terrapins invite survivors and their families to come to the game for free. To register for free tickets, please email TerpSports@umd.edu with your full name, the name of the survivor, and the number of tickets you would like to request. Tickets will be placed at will-call under the survivor's name for pick up on the day of the game. For more information on Leukemia Awareness Night, log on to /ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=29700&ATCLID=208139216.
The Terps-Georgia Tech game will be shown on RSN, which includes Fox Sports South, Fox Sports Florida/Sun Sports, Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic and New England Sports Network (NESN). Please check your local listings for more information.
The Terps are 13-0 for the first time since the 2006-07 season, when they started off 18-0.
Maryland is ranked No. 5 in the latest Associated Press rankings and the ESPN/USA Today Division I Top 25 Coaches' poll.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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