ST. THOMAS, USVI – The sixth-ranked Maryland women’s basketball team (4-0) handled Old Dominion (1-4), 95-49, in the first game of the Paradise Jam Thursday night at the University of the Virgin Islands Sports and Fitness Center.
Fifth-year senior Brene Moseley tied her career-high 26 points off 10-for-12 shooting from the field with four assists and three steals. Junior Shatori Walker-Kimbrough went 6-for-7 from the floor for 16 points. Brionna Jones picked up her second double-double of the season with 10 points and 12 rebounds. All 12 Terrapins saw action and seven scored seven points or more.
“We were ready to play,” head coach Brenda Frese said. “We had a ton of energy and were really aggressive on both ends of the floor. Then, I think we settled in a little bit. Credit Old Dominion, they made a little bit of a run. I thought our depth was able to wear them out and did a better job after halftime. Brene Moseley was tremendous. She really sparked us and played a really complete game.”
Maryland opened the game with a 9-0 lead, including five points from Walker-Kimbrough, to force an Old Dominion timeout 2:36 into the game. The Terrapins dominated the first quarter, leading 30-6 at the end of the 10 minute period.
The Terps’ defense held the Monarchs scoreless for a five-minute span bridging the first two quarters, then Old Dominion went on a short run to cut into the Terrapins’ lead. Moseley led Maryland’s offense with 12 points in the second quarter alone. The Terrapins led 48-24 at halftime.
Back-to-back buckets by Jones sparked a 20-5 run early in the third quarter for the Terrapins, who led 70-33 with three minutes left in the period.
Maryland’s defense held Old Dominion to just 22.9 percent (16-70) from the floor.
The Terrapins will play South Dakota State (2-1) Friday at 5:45 p.m. ET and Pittsburgh (3-0) Saturday at 8 p.m. ET. Both games will be streamed live online for free through ParadiseJam.com and live stats will be available as well here.
Maryland went 2-1 in its first trip to the Paradise Jam, back in 2005. The Terps beat Gonzaga, 88-50, then topped No. 9 Michigan State, 75-61, before losing a close battle to No. 2 Tennessee, 80-75.
The Terrapins are ranked No. 6 in the Associated Press and the USA Today Division I Top 25 Coaches polls.
After the Paradise Jam, the Terps will return home to XFINITY Center to host No. 23 Syracuse (2-1) Wednesday, Dec. 2 in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. The Terrapins-Orange game will be televised around the world on the Big Ten Network and the BTN2Go app.
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit umterps.com. Parking will be free and open after 4 p.m.
– Terps –
