Deep and tough, U-Md. women seek to knock off Duke

The Maryland women's basketball team no sooner survived a demanding road game against Saint Joseph's on Sunday when the postgame discourse quickly turned to the Terrapins' next opponent.

That would be third-ranked Duke, which has national championship aspirations after winning 14 in a row to open the season and 16 straight at storied Cameron Indoor Stadium.

"What a way to start, you know?" Coach Brenda Frese said. "Number three in the country. Undefeated. We've got our work cut out for us. They're playing extremely well. It's a difficult environment. It's a situation where you have to be mentally and physically tough to play."

The 84-70 victory over the Hawks, led by a career-high 22 points from freshman Alyssa Thomas and an assertive performance from a formidable front line, elevated the Terps to No. 14 in the Associated Press poll after their 12th consecutive win. In addition to the victory over Saint Joseph's, which won seven in a row entering Sunday, Maryland enters conference play with a 66-60 home win against then-No. 17 St. John's and a 56-55 triumph at Purdue.

In all three of those games, Maryland leaned heavily on sophomore forward Diandra Tchatchouang and junior center Lynetta Kizer. Maryland figures to need more of the same from both in order to topple Duke.

Against Saint Joseph's, Tchatchouang and Kizer combined for 23 points and 23 rebounds. The Terrapins' statistical advantage included 48-30 in rebounding, 42-12 on points in the paint and 18-0 in second-chance points. Maryland's rebounding prowess also allowed for quick transition into the team's preferred up-tempo offense, leading to a 14-2 margin in fast-break points.

"We hope with our depth and our size that we can absolutely wear down opponents," Frese said. "We take pride in being a great, dominant rebounding team."

The Terrapins have outrebounded their opponents in all but one game this season and own a plus-16.4 rebounding margin. That, along with a deep, youthful bench filled with prized recruits, has Maryland bidding to break into the elite this season.

Leading the freshman class is Thomas, who has emerged as perhaps the Terrapins' most important player of late. Thomas is second on the team in points per game (12.7) and third in rebounds (6.2) as well as second in field goal percentage (.523) among players in the regular rotation.

"I feel like I'm playing like I've been here for a while," said Thomas, one of five highly regarded freshmen who constituted a promising recruiting class.

Thomas had one of her most proficient games of the season against the Hawks, making 7 of 12 shots and 8 of 9 from the free throw line. She added five rebounds, one block and one steal in 34 minutes, tied with Tchatchouang and junior guard Kim Rodgers for the most playing time for the Terrapins.

Thomas's 24.4 minutes per game also are the most for a Maryland freshman this season. Center Alicia DeVaughn is averaging 19 minutes per game, and guards Laurin Mincy and Natasha Cloud play roughly 16 minutes per game.

"I like that we've been able to go on the road and been able to secure some wins," Frese said. "With this young team, we've been able to develop together. Obviously I don't think either team has to get up for this game. We've enjoyed the rivalry, that's for sure."