After a sluggish first quarter, Maryland main guard Abby Meyers’ electric 14-point second quarterback helped Maryland Women’s Basketball to a 94-39 victory over Millersville in its final exhibition at the Xfinity Center. from College Park.
Four different Terps scored in double digits in their final tune-up of the preseason.
“I know I’m a knockdown shooter and we’ve had meetings with the coaches in terms of roles and what’s expected of us and me,” Meyers said. “That’s what I’m going to work on every day in training for the upcoming games.”
The Terps started the game slow, as they struggled to establish star senior guard Diamond Miller in the position.
The first quarter was surprisingly competitive as Maryland took a narrow 17-16 lead after the first 10 minutes. The Terps went 7 of 20 from the field after missing several lay-ups. In the first quarter, Maryland main guard/forward Faith Masonius drove a left before making a sneaky turn but was unable to finish the play.
Maryland head coach Brenda Frese experimented with different defensive sets in the first quarter as she used a 2-2-1 all-court press with a 2-3 zone.
Maryland looked like a completely different team in the second quarter. The Terps were led by senior guard Abby Meyers, who scored 14 points and splashed in two deep three-pointers. Maryland’s freshman guard duo of Gia Cooke and Bri McDaniel provided a spark off the bench to the tune of 10 combined points.
“I asked them if they were happy with the start and I thought there was just a big responsibility that came from the dressing rooms, especially the starters,” Frese said. “They [knew] they needed to set the tone and do a better job so I loved the property.”
The Terps apparently came out of halftime with a focus on putting the game out of reach, and that’s exactly what they would do.
Maryland dominated the second half by limiting Millersville to 19 second-half points and a 22.8 percent field goal percentage in the contest.
Frese’s group forced 29 turnovers and managed to get a few interceptions in the backcourt to secure favorable lay-ups at the other end. The Maryland defense scored 29 points on Millersville’s turnovers, which also allowed the Terps to come out in transition to trigger their fast break.
Frese noted in a previous pre-season media availability that running in transition would be a focal point this season.
The Terps answered that call on Wednesday, using crisp passing and proper spacing to produce 37 quick break points.
Maryland will open the 2022-23 season Nov. 7 against George Mason at EagleBank Arena in Fairfax, Va.
