COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Laurin Mincy scored 27 points, and top-seeded Maryland used a second-half blitz to knock off previously unbeaten Princeton 85-70 Monday night and advance to the Sweet 16 of the women's NCAA tournament.
After leading by only 42-38 at the break, the Terrapins used a 17-2 run immediately after halftime to turn a surprisingly tight game into a rout.
““It was a tremendous game. It was fun,” head coach Brenda Frese said. “Obviously, this is what you see come this time of year. I thought both groups were ready to play from the tip and both teams came out with a ton of energy. We were really able to separate ourselves in the second half. Tierney [Pfirman] was an x factor for us off of the bench and I thought the difference was our defense and rebounding in the second half.”
The Terrapins (32-2) will bring a 26-game winning streak into a matchup with Duke on Saturday in Spokane, Wash. Maryland and Duke were longtime rivals in the Atlantic Coast Conference before the Terps moved to the Big Ten this season.
Lexie Brown scored 23 for the Terrapins, who will be making their fourth consecutive trip to the Sweet 16 and seventh in head coach Brenda Frese’s 13 seasons at Maryland. Tierney Pfirman added 11 off the bench and Brionna Jones had 10 and 10 rebounds.
Eighth-seeded Princeton (31-1) was coming off the program's first-ever win in the NCAA tournament, on Saturday against Wisconsin-Green Bay. Blake Dietrick led Princeton with 26 points and Vanessa Smith added 15.
Princeton made 10 of its first 13 field-goal tries and led 28-24 on the Terrapins' own floor before an enthusiastic crowd that clearly favored the home team.
Outscoring Maryland 28-6 in the paint while holding Jones without a point in the first half, Princeton had several leads before falling behind at the break. With the pressure inside, the Terps opted to fire from the outside before halftime. They led 42-38 at the break.
In the second half, however, Maryland proved to be too fast, too big and, most importantly, too talented.
After the teams exchanged baskets, Mincy scored in the lane and Jones sank two free throws. Jones and Shatori Walker-Kimbrough then made successive baskets before Mincy drilled a 3-pointer. Field goals by Brown and Malina Howard completed the run, making it 59-40 with just under 14 minutes to play.
Jones finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Mincy, in her final home game, went 9 for 11 from field, including 6 for 7 from beyond the arc.
For a half, the Tigers gave their backers reason to believe they could pull off the upset. But Princeton couldn't sustain the momentum in the second half, going 12 for 34 from the field and being outrebounded 23-14.
Maryland will take on fourth-seeded Duke (23-10) Saturday in the NCAA Regional Semifinals in Spokane, Wash. Game time will be announced. For tickets, log on to http://www.umterps.com/ncaawomen.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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