Terrapins Get Back Into Form vs. Cavs

No. 3 Maryland Cruises After 1st Loss: Maryland 95, Virginia 68

Maryland wanted nothing more than to assuage the bitter aftertaste that came from losing to Duke last week, but the third-ranked Terrapins had to wait nearly a week to return to the court.

When it finally came time to play, Maryland was more than ready to reclaim some of the swagger that Duke took away. The Terrapins used one of their characteristic spurts to gain an early lead against Virginia, then pulled away for a 95-68 victory before 11,118 at Comcast Center last night.

Maryland (19-1, 3-1 ACC) has won four of its last five games against the Cavaliers (12-6, 2-2), but continues to trail in the series, 40-26.

"There was only one thing that we could do [after losing to Duke] and that was to recover and regroup," said guard Kristi Toliver, who finished with 20 points. "I think today we showed that we were more of a mature bunch because we could have folded again in this game. U-Va. is a very talented team but we just came out with a lot of confidence and a lot of focus."

Although Maryland no longer is the invincible team it once appeared, the Terrapins remain better than most of the ACC. The Cavaliers, whose only ACC victories have come against the two winless conference teams, Boston College and Wake Forest, gave a valiant effort, but they didn't have enough to slow down Maryland's potent offense. The Terrapins' 95 points were the third most the Cavaliers have allowed this season. Four players scored in double figures for Maryland, which shot 50 percent.

No one looked more ready to put the Duke game behind her than Laura Harper. The junior center, who was limited to seven points against Duke, came out very efficiently in the first half, scoring 15 points in 15 minutes. She also blocked three shots before halftime.

One of her more spectacular plays, though, came in the second half when, on a fast break, Marissa Coleman whipped a behind-the-back pass to Harper, who caught the ball, made the layup and was fouled. Harper sank the free throw to put the Terrapins up 89-62. Harper finished with a team-high 21 points on 8-of-14 shooting. She also grabbed eight rebounds and tied a career high with five blocked shots.

"After the Duke game, I personally realized that intensity needs to be brought even more from every single person," said Harper, who sported new braids for the game. "I just tried to come out a little bit more intense, more energy."

Virginia freshman guard Monica Wright (Forest Park), the ACC preseason rookie of the year, was limited by fouls in the first half, picking up two and going to the bench before three minutes expired. She didn't return to the lineup until the second half, but still managed to finish with 10 points. Lyndra Littles (Carroll) led the Cavaliers with 23 points.

"Monica's foul trouble really hurt us," Virginia Coach Debbie Ryan said. "We don't have a lot of room for error."

Maryland was more attentive on the defensive end than it had been against Duke, although the Terrapins did suffer occasional lapses. After scoring on its first three possessions, Virginia missed its next seven shots as Maryland went on a 14-0 run to take an 18-6 lead. The lead rarely dipped below double digits the rest of the way. The Cavaliers made just 35.1 percent of their first-half shots.

"I thought our team showed a lot of character tonight, especially in terms of the focus that we had this week with practice, really taking our last game to heart," Maryland Coach Brenda Frese said. "It shows you what kind of team this is."