An eruption of cheers filled Comcast Center with just more than a minute remaining in the Terrapin women's basketball team's game against No. 10 North Carolina last night.
Before tip-off, most would have presumed such late-game excitement between two of the ACC's top teams could stem only from the result of a game-changing play. But last night it was for a curtain call, as coach Brenda Frese emptied her bench with the No. 15 Terps holding a commanding 21-point lead over the Tar Heels.
The game had long since been decided, and the Terps rolled past the Tar Heels, 88-65, in the team's first signature win of the season.
"This shows us what level we can play at," Frese said. "Dominating win from start to finish."
After jumping out to an early 20-7 lead, the Terps (16-3, 3-2 ACC) never relinquished control of the game. With a stifling man-to-man defense, the Terps systematically dismantled the Tar Heels, holding the nation's sixth-best scoring offense to just 65 points and 33.8 percent shooting.
That defensive effort exemplified a banner day for the Terps, who started the game with energy and maintained it until the final whistle. And while the Tar Heels (17-3, 3-2) stirred up comeback hopes with occasional streaks of solid play, it was the Terps' intensity that often brought the home team back into control.
"We're relentless," said guard Anjale Barrett, who finished the game with eight points and 11 assists. "We knew if we got lax, they'd come back and fight."
"Our defense absolutely led to our offense," added Frese, whose team posted its highest point total of the season.
The Terps' persistent intensity was enough to even nullify their 28 turnovers, a mark one shy of their season high. And when the Tar Heels couldn't capitalize, the Terps dominated them in transition.
Forward Diandra Tchatchouang nixed two fast-break layup attempts with emphatic blocks. Other times, the Terps forced North Carolina into wild shot attempts that led to fast-break points of their own. Much of the time, the Terps retreated back into position and dared the Tar Heels to break through their stifling defense.
That defensive effort was certainly helped by the absence of the Tar Heels' second-leading scorer, forward Jessica Breland, who did not make the trip after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery Saturday.
Breland's absence was also obvious on the boards, where the Terps nearly doubled the Tar Heels' rebounding totals, 55-32.
"There's no doubt that we missed [Breland]," Tar Heel coach Sylvia Hatchell said.
The Terps' balanced offensive attack was led by freshman forwards Alyssa Thomas (16 points, 13 rebounds) and Alicia DeVaughn (12 points). The game marked Thomas' fourth double-double in the past five games.
"You could see our confidence at an all-time high," Frese said. "You're starting to see a team coming together."
Even as turnovers remained an issue, the Terps' typical downfalls were nonexistent. The team shot 92 percent from the free-throw line, where the Terps have shot just more than 60 percent this season. And from behind the arc, where the Terps have often searched for answers this season while shooting a conference-worst 25 percent, the Terps delivered, making their first three 3-pointers and nearly half of their attempts throughout the game to help protect their lead.
"Everybody contributed. Everybody did what they had to do," center Lynetta Kizer said. "We set the bar tonight."
TERP NOTE: The Terps' game this Friday against Wake Forest will feature a leukemia awareness event in partnership with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and the Team Tyler Foundation. For more information, visit www.umterps.com/awareness.
cwalsh@umdbk.com
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