Shooting woes go deeper for women's basketball

When the Terrapin women's basketball team is successful shooting from the perimeter, coach Brenda Frese said, it can be "unstoppable."

But as No. 14 Florida State showed Sunday, the Terps are decidedly stoppable, largely because of their inconsistencies from beyond the arc. They have made the fewest 3-pointers of any team in the ACC, a glaring weakness for a team with few.

In their 72-66 weekend win, the Seminoles opted to focus their defensive efforts on containing the No. 15 Terps' talented post players, challenging their guests to beat them from outside. It paid off, as the Terps shot a dismal 3-for-13 from beyond the arc in defeat.

"That's an area where we've got to become much more consistent," Frese said. "You have to have an inside-outside attack. Of the six games that we've lost, sometimes you can point to our perimeter."

The Terps' primary issue has been an inability to replace the contributions of graduated guard Lori Bjork, who hit more 3-pointers last season (85) than the team has combined for in 27 games this season (84).

Coming into this season, guard Kim Rodgers seemed the likely candidate to replace Bjork. The junior has proven clutch from the perimeter at times this season, most notably nailing a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to elevate the Terps over Georgia Tech on Feb. 3.

She also has occasionally been able to spark the Terps' play with timely shots. She hit three consecutive 3-pointers to spark a first-half run against Wake Forest on Jan. 28 and knocked down two straight 3-pointers in a decisive 21-0 run against NC State on Feb. 6.

But her efforts have proven equally inconsistent. She has shot just 25.4 percent from beyond the arc this season — compared to Bjork's 40.9 percent clip last year — and has left the Terps one-dimensional at times this year.

Frese, though, said the team's inconsistencies can't be put solely on Rodgers' shoulders. While the junior is clearly the first option for the Terps, Frese also looks for guards Anjale Barrett and Laurin Mincy and forward Diandra Tchatchouang to bear some of the responsibility for replacing Bjork.

"We've brought her name up numerous times," Frese said of Bjork. "She would have played remarkably well with this team. She's the missing piece.

"I would say Kim's effort is there, but we can do a better job as a team helping her get open. We didn't do a very good job at getting Kim easy looks. We've got to do a better job getting her easy looks. She was rushed all night [against Florida State]."

So while it's difficult to pinpoint the exact root of the Terps' shooting woes — "I'm surprised by it, given the kind of talent we have in this locker room," Frese said — its effects on the rest of the team have been plainly obvious this year.

Earlier this season, center Lynetta Kizer boasted that "nobody can stop our bigs when we're down there." Kizer's sentiment again rang true against the Seminoles, who were doubled up by the Terps' scoring in the paint, 44-22. But those inside contributions were all but moot without some help from the perimeter during a late-game comeback effort predicated on layups and short shots.

Down the stretch, the Terps regularly looked inside to trim the Seminoles' lead. But ultimately, what the Terps needed to better cut into the deficit was just what they were unable to register in the final 3:26 of action Sunday: a 3-pointer.

"I don't think all is lost in the big picture," Frese said. "On those off nights, we just have to be able to find other ways."

cwalsh@umdbk.com