Guards on for women's basketball in blowout of Tigers

Not even a week into the regular season, Brenda Frese already knows this season will go only as far as the guards on her Terrapins women's basketball team can take it.

That sentiment, espoused often this fall, may never prove any more true than it did last night against Towson.

With frontcourt starters Tianna Hawkins and Alicia DeVaughn in foul trouble and center Lynetta Kizer still not back from suspension, the No. 10 Terps' guards took over inside Comcast Center. Freshman Brene Moseley scored a career-high 26 points while Laurin Mincy added 15 of her own, leading the Terps to an 82-46 victory over the Tigers.

"We did a tremendous job tonight being unselfish, moving the basketball, obviously stepping up and making big shots," Frese said. "Just a tremendous overall win tonight, and I thought we did a terrific job."

Though the Terps (3-0) had relied mostly on their frontcourt in their first two victories, early foul trouble inside forced the team to look elsewhere for its scoring options against Towson (1-1). Anjale Barrett, Moseley and Mincy proved more than serviceable, combining to score nearly two-thirds of the team's 49 first-half points.

"I like the fact that we were able to showcase tonight that we had an inside game against Georgetown and show our outside game tonight with our guard play," Frese said. "It all came within the flow of the offense. I thought [Brene] was extremely patient, we moved the ball extremely well and it gives us another dimension when you look at our team."

The second half saw more of the same from the Terps. Hawkins' and DeVaughn's struggles continued — they combined to score just five points in the last 20 minutes — leaving the guards to again do the heavy lifting.

And as they had all game, Barrett, Moseley and Mincy rose to the challenge. The trio combined for 21 second-half points on 8-for-13 shooting as the Terps cruised to a 36-point victory over the Tigers.

Perhaps the most impressive result of the guards' stellar night was their showing from beyond the arc. After making just seven 3-pointers in their first two games combined, the Terps drained eight last night, including six in the first half. Moseley led the way from deep, making four of her six attempts.

"I thought we really clicked well on the perimeter tonight," Frese said. "This team can be very dangerous if we're able to put all of these pieces together."

Overall, the team's four guards, including senior Kim Rodgers, combined to score 55 points, nearly 70 percent of the team's scoring last night. Moseley's 26 points were the most from a Terps freshman since former All-America guard Kristi Tolliver scored 28 in a win over Utah in the 2006 Elite Eight.

"I was just taking what they were giving me," Moseley said. "They left me open, so I guess I just had the opportunity to knock it down."

And if they can get that kind of output nightly from the talented newcomer, Frese knows, the Terps will be as dangerous as they desire.

"For a freshman to come in with that kind of poise and that kind of confidence just makes us better as a team," Frese said. "That's what we got to be able to have."

vitale@umdbk.com