Women's basketball beats buzzer, Georgia Tech in 56-53 win

For so much of this season, the Terrapin women's basketball team's success has largely depended on the success of its post players.

So when guard Anjale Barrett picked up the ball on Georgia Tech's baseline for an inbounds pass with 1.2 seconds left and the game tied at 53 last night, it seemed only logical that coach Brenda Frese would call the number of forward Alyssa Thomas or center Lynetta Kizer, who had led the Terps on the scoreboard all night.

The Yellow Jackets figured the same, smothering Thomas, the play's intended target. Barrett, though, checked down to her second option and found guard Kim Rodgers in the corner, who hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer in front of her bench to send the team home from Atlanta's Alexander Memorial Coliseum with a 56-53 win over No. 24 Georgia Tech. The win was the No. 12 Terps' sixth straight victory.

"The play was for Alyssa to get a lob. We didn't think we had enough time to get a shot," Rodgers said. "I kind of just thought I had to be ready."

When the Yellow Jackets collapsed on Thomas, Rodgers knew she had to get the shot up immediately. As she watched the shot drop, even she was surprised at her own good fortune.

"It felt like it really didn't happen to me. I didn't expect it," said Rodgers, who was 0-for-3 from beyond the arc to that point in the game.

The Terps had controlled much of the first half behind Kizer's play, going into the locker room up 27-20 as the junior worked her way to finish with a game-high 19 points.

"Lynetta wanted the ball," Frese said of her team's emotional leader.

But the Yellow Jackets (18-7, 6-3 ACC) adjusted early in the second half, chipping away at the Terps' zone and knocking down a pair of 3-pointers early in the half to quickly erase their lead.

The scoreline continued to teeter as each team mounted run after run, but neither side could pull away.

Even a 10-2 run that put the Yellow Jackets up 50-45 with less than five minutes remaining couldn't put the Terps away for good, as they quickly responded with two old-fashioned three-point plays from Thomas (17 points) and Rodgers (eight points).

The Terps' (19-3, 5-2) momentum soon fizzled, as a power surge within the arena stopped the game for 24 minutes with just more than two minutes left to play.

After the unscheduled intermission, though, the Terps did not falter. Frese's defense-to-offense substitutions, a luxury afforded by the team's three remaining timeouts, proved vital, and center Alicia DeVaughn came up with a crucial steal with 19 seconds left to set up the Terps' final play.

"Her length defensively does a lot of great things," Frese said of the freshman.

Following a timeout, the Terps took the ball upcourt with 14 seconds left.

Barrett's drive was deflected out of bounds, setting up what would prove to be the team's pivotal play. In a feat of good timing, assistant coach David Adkins had introduced the basics of the game-winning play just before yesterday's game.

"We told the team it was a play we might run out of a timeout," Frese said.

The fact that the Yellow Jackets had yet to see the inbounds play — which was designed to feed Thomas near the rim for a quick basket — was arguably most important. After Georgia Tech coach MaChelle Joseph saw the Terps' set and called timeout, Frese didn't change the call.

"This team is really turning the corner," Frese said. "You've got to go on the road and win, and with the lights going out and so many runs … [it was] a special win for this team."

cwalsh@umdbk.com