UCLA can't handle Terp senior stars

On the first possession of yesterday's Terrapin women's basketball game against visiting UCLA, Lynetta Kizer sent a powerful message.

Fighting for a rebound with the Bruins' Chinyere Ibekwe, sister of former Terrapin men's player Ekene Ibekwe, Kizer secured the ball under intense pressure and handed it off to guard Kristi Toliver to start the fast break.

As Toliver circled around and dribbled down the floor, Kizer set a hard screen on the 6-foot-4 Ibekwe, knocking her off balance.

It was a subtle moment, but it represented the highly physical, intense style the No. 11 Terps played with in the first half of yesterday's 88-65 victory.

Coach Brenda Frese called it her team's best defensive effort of the young season.

"Our defense, when we were able to get stops, helped us out on the offensive end and really helped us in terms of being able to execute and for us to put up 41 points," Frese said.

The Terps (3-1) held the Bruins to just six field goals and 24 points in the first half on 18 percent shooting, forcing 17 turnovers that led to 18 points.

"When we can hold a great team like UCLA to 18 percent - and that's the exciting thing - we can do that," Frese said. "Those best games are ahead of us."

While the Terps' defensive pressure faded in the second half - UCLA doubled its point total from halftime in the first nine minutes of the second - the performance in the first 20 minutes was enough to stake the Terps to a comfortable 19-point lead.

The closest the Bruins got was within 12 points with 13:27 remaining after a 16-9 run to open the second half.

But behind a second straight stellar shooting performance from Toliver, 22 points from forward Marissa Coleman and double-digit scoring efforts from Kizer and frontcourt-mate Demauria Liles, the Terps cruised to their third straight win after opening the season with a loss at Texas Christian.

"We've finally played four games - I think that we're finally starting to get in the rhythm of things," Toliver said. "I think early on, just with a whole new team we just had to build that chemistry. Good things are starting to happen, everybody is getting good shots."

Toliver, who passed both 1,500 career points and 600 career assists in the game, led the Terps with 25 points on 9-16 shooting. In the brief periods when UCLA's zone defense hurt the Terps' offensive execution, Toliver calmly made shots and plays, such as when she found Coleman in the right corner for a three-pointer to beat the shot-clock buzzer and give the Terps a 37-17 lead with 1:51 remaining in the first half.

When the Bruins focused on shutting down Toliver in the second half, Coleman took advantage of scoring opportunities on the perimeter.

"That just shows how talented of a team we are," Coleman said. "Kristi's a great player and a lot of people are going to focus on her, but when they do it opens up a lot for the rest of us."

Finding offense hasn't been a problem in the last two games for the Terps, who will travel to Cancun, Mexico, this week for three games in the Cancun Caribbean Challenge. But the difference in yesterday's game was the intensity with which the Terps went for loose balls, challenged shots and helped down low defensively.

Kizer said she came into the game knowing it would be important to be physical with Ebekwe, and Bruins' center Moniquee Alexander, who is 6-foot-6.

"Definitely, I just focused more on the rebounding aspect," Kizer said. "I just came prepared to block out and go for boards, then let things happen."

After her hard pick on the game's very first possession, Kizer and the rest of the Terps came through on their defensive objectives, giving a glimpse of just how complete a team they can be.

akrautdbk@gmail.com