Women's basketball blows out Holy Family in final preseason tuneup

When the first half ended in the Terrapins women's basketball team's exhibition last night, forward Alyssa Thomas had 19 points.

The Terps' opponent, Holy Family, had 17.

To say the Division II school was overmatched in the Comcast Center last would have been an understatement. In their final exhibition of the preseason, the Terps cruised to victory, 94-36, with as little trouble as the score indicated.

"Basically we just got out in transition, our point guards hit the open players and we finished," Thomas said.

It was often just that simple. Holy Family took the first lead of the game, going up 1-0 on a free throw from center Erin Mann in the first minute of action. That lone point, however, would be all the Terps allowed over the next nine minutes, as the Tigers didn't score their first field goal of the game until the 10:23 mark of the first half.

The Terps ultimately allowed 14 more points in the half, but they were of little consequence. With Thomas singlehandedly outscoring the Tigers in the first half, the Terps took a 34-point lead into the break.

"We did a really nice job on the defensive end, mixing up our defenses," coach Brenda Frese said. "Our starting group did a tremendous job with their energy and their intensity and then took off from that."

Holy Family didn't fare much better in the second half. The Terps came out of the locker room and went on a 15-1 run, continuing to dominate the Tigers defensively as they had all game. In the end, the Terps held the Tigers to just 19 second-half points, sailed to a 58-point victory.

"It was a really nice final tuneup for us," Frese said. "This is a game where we challenged our team to get better from last week to this week, and from areas we showed on film, we've really improved."

While the play of the frontcourt was again stellar for the Terps, it might have been their guards who showed the most in the team's final preseason test. Guards Anjale Barrett and Laurin Mincy combined to score 15 points, while freshman Brene Moseley totaled 16 points, four assists and just one turnover.

"I think I just try to push the ball in transition and get the ball to the open man," Moseley said. "They get down the court, so it makes my job easier."

The Terps dominated Holy Family last night in their final preseason contest without star center Lynetta Kizer, who was suspended before the team's first exhibition game Nov. 1 for a violation of team rules.

Frese wouldn't comment on Kizer's availability for the team's season opener Friday and offered no timetable for her return, but was pleased with the way her team continued to play without the presence of one of its most vital pieces.

"They've played as a team, and they've all continued to have each other's back," Frese said. "What's really satisfying about this group right here — they're just hungry, they're motivated, they're driven every day they step in, step on the court, and they just continue to want to improve."

With or without Kizer on the court, the Terps will open their regular season Friday against Loyola. If last night's exhibition numbers are any indication, the Terps are more than ready to start playing games that count.

"Now you're playing a Division-I opponent. I know this team is going to play a regular season game, at home, in front of our fans," Frese said. "We're really looking forward to getting started."

vitale@umdbk.com