Help from deep lifts women's basketball past Boston College, 78-69

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – The Terrapin women's basketball team knows it can lean on its post players to lead its offensive charge.

But when the Terps have turned to the interior to dictate their play all year, they've often been left grasping for consistency on the perimeter.

With a 78-69 win at Boston College yesterday, the No. 15 Terps finally found in Conte Forum the inside-outside balance they've been searching for all season.

Not surprisingly, the Terps were able to match an equally deep Eagle frontcourt with the play of forward Alyssa Thomas (17 points, nine rebounds) and center Lynetta Kizer (14 points).

What gave the Terps the edge in their regular-season finale, though, was the play of veteran guards Anjale Barrett and Kim Rodgers. The duo — which comprised the Terps' starting backcourt for the first time since Nov. 18 — combined for 31 points, eight assists and 5-for-7 shooting from beyond the arc to lead the Terps into the postseason on a high note.

"They played like poised veterans do," coach Brenda Frese said. "They set the tone for 40 minutes [with] their aggressive play and shooting the ball with confidence."

The timeliness of her backcourt's contributions made them all the more important.

With the Eagles' towering frontcourt of center Carolyn Swords and forward Stefanie Murphy aided by a lane-clogging zone defense, the Terps (23-6, 9-5 ACC) were forced to turn to the perimeter to open things up offensively.

Barrett and Rodgers responded. Barrett hit two shots from beyond the arc, while Rodgers beat the first-half buzzer with a 3-pointer to send the Terps into the locker room leading by 10.

Barrett knew that wasn't enough, though. When the teams first met at Comcast Center in January, an eight-point halftime lead for the Terps disappeared as the Eagles used a 7-0 run to open the second half and ultimately spark an upset victory.

"Coming in at halftime, we were up, and the first thing I said was ‘remember what happened last time,'" Barrett said. "I knew the first four minutes of the second half [were] going to be crucial."

After Barrett and Rodgers combined for 10 of the team's 11 points in the first four minutes of the second half — a burst that included two 3-pointers from Rodgers — the Terps never looked back.

It was their defense that allowed them to maintain control. From the opening tip, the Terps came out in perhaps their most aggressive man-to-man defensive set of the season and forced 17 Boston College (18-11, 5-9) turnovers.

That in-your-face defense, exemplified by reserve guard Dara Taylor's shutdown play on the Eagles' talented point guard, Jaclyn Thoman, also made it difficult for Boston College to work the ball into its dynamic post combination of center Carolyn Swords and forward Stefanie Murphy.

While Thoman, Swords and Murphy still combined for 48 of the Eagles' points, none came easily.

"We wanted to really disrupt them with our defensive presence. When they get catches, they're pretty unstoppable in the paint," Frese said. "I thought it started with our guard play. I thought, defensively, it was one of the best games we've had in terms of the amount of pressure we were able to force."

The Terps struggled to put their hosts away down the stretch and never led by more than 13 points, but they returned to College Park knowing their well-rounded effort was enough to accomplish a series of goals for the day.

Not only did they avenge their earlier loss to the Eagles, but they continued to improve from the perimeter. Perhaps most importantly, the win also secured the fourth seed and a first-round bye in this week's ACC Tournament, a spot earned when No. 12 Miami topped Georgia Tech in Atlanta shortly after the Terps' win went final.

"We talked about wanting to control our part," Frese said, "and we took the step we needed to take."

cwalsh@umdbk.com