Point guard trio making up for the loss of Toliver so far

If there's one thing the No. 25 Terrapin women's basketball team gets from its point guard position, it's strength in numbers.

Of course, anytime a program has to replace a player such as Kristi Toliver, whose career numbers made her one of the program's all-time greats, it's probably best the job is a shared responsibility.

Unsurprisingly, it hasn't been all that easy for the Terps' point guard trio of freshman Dara Taylor, sophomore Anjale Barrett and senior Lori Bjork to take over for Toliver, whose talents made her the third overall pick in the 2009 WNBA Draft and allowed her to almost single-handedly win games for the Terps last year.

Through nine games this season, coach Brenda Frese hasn't asked her stable of guards to carry the team as Toliver often did last season. And given the circumstances of each guard's situation, it's certainly a reasonable decision.

Taylor hasn't spent more than a semester in College Park, Barrett is only a little more than a year removed from surgery on her knee and, before this season, the last time Bjork had led an offense as the lead guard was in early 2008 for Illinois.

While each brings a uniquely different skill set to the court, all three have excelled in keeping the Terps playing well. They'll look to continue that trend tonight at Towson, where the Terps (8-1) will play the Tigers (4-4) before a well-earned nine-day break for final exams.

"As we've seen, different games, different situations, all three have excelled at different times," Frese said. "I wish it was cut-and-paste like it's been the last four years, where you can say it goes in one person's hand, but I think it lends to their versatility."

By any standard, the triumvirate is a diverse one. Taylor is the youngest of the bunch, and her youth can be painfully obvious — or markedly exhilarating — at times.

Built in the same mold of Toliver, Frese said the 5-foot-7 Taylor brings a speed she's never seen on a Terp roster before. But sometimes her fast can be too fast. As often as her athleticism lends itself to remarkable plays in transition, it can also get her into situations where a shift in gears comes too late. Taylor leads the team with 35 assists but also with 37 turnovers.

"It's a work in progress," Frese said. "It's still early. … Once we're able to get more reps, I think she's fully going to understand it."

At 5-foot-10, Barrett is a taller and wider presence at the point, and as a redshirt sophomore, she's also more experienced and knowledgeable than Taylor. According to Frese, Barrett is in the "best shape of her life." It's been evident in what she's been able to do off the dribble.

"Her ability to slash, her ability to pass, to hit the wide open jump shot — she's just been very solid for us," Frese said. "She's a different player this year than she was last year."

Bjork normally fills in as the team's shooting guard but is equally comfortable shooting and handling the ball. The fifth-year senior's assists-to-turnover ratio is better than 2-to-1 — far and away the best mark on the team. Bjork said she's "been around the block" long enough to know what to do in just about any situation.

That knowledge, no matter who it comes from, will be necessary in later months — especially against the best the ACC has to offer. Frese said teams such as North Carolina and Georgia Tech will endlessly harass ball-handlers, and how the team handles the pressure against an athletic Towson team tonight will give her an idea of what work still needs to be done.

"It's obviously really critical to be able to have at least a point guard," Bjork said. "And when you've got three, it's even better."

shaffer@umdbk.com