No. 4 Maryland women rout St. Peter's 101-49

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) - Maryland's Brionna Jones got into a rhythm early and never slowed down against overmatched St. Peter's.

Jones scored 19 of her career-high 30 points in the first half and the No. 4 Terrapins remained unbeaten with a 101-49 victory over the Peacocks on Thursday night.

"I was just taking what was given to me," Jones said. "My teammates were finding me when I was open. I was just working hard on every possession. I was definitely surprised that there wasn't a double-team coming."

The Terrapins (10-0) are playing a stretch of five games over 12 days. However, coach Brenda Frese has kept the team fresh because of her deep bench. In the process, Frese has gotten contributions from her entire roster.

Shatori Walker-Kimbrough added 16 points, Brianna Fraser had 13, and the Terrapins had a season-low six turnovers.

"I thought we started slow defensively and we looked sluggish from the games and practices we've had," Frese said. "Obviously, we played through (Jones). I don't think they had an answer for her. I thought our bench-depth played with a lot of energy."

Brianna Tarabocchia led St. Peter's (1-7) with 11 points.

St. Peter's lost its first six games by an average of 29 points. However, the Peacocks stayed close early and a pair of free throws by Talah Hughes tied it at 13 in the final minute of the opening quarter.

St. Peter's tried to maintain possession until there were just a few seconds left on the shot clock to keep the ball away from Maryland. The strategy worked for a spell before the Terrapins wore them down.

"I think Maryland is very deceptive from watching them on film and then seeing them live," St. Peter's coach Pat Coyle said. "They're much quicker and more physical. What I like about their team is they don't do anything complicated. They just get the ball to their scorers."

A 3-pointer by Walker-Kimbrough capped a 19-3 run and the Terrapins led 32-16 with 6:02 left in the half. Maryland continued to pull away and the lead ballooned to 51-25 at the break.

The Terrapins shot 61 percent from the field and their backups outscored the Peacocks' reserves 13-2.

Maryland's starters returned for the second half and consecutive baskets by Jones increased the margin to 62-29. Jones was 14 of 16 from the field in just 20 minutes and made the game easier for her team.

"As guards, we don't have to force anything up," Maryland's Ieshia Small said. "We know we can always look inside for her and depend on her to finish the play all of the time."

Frese then went back to the bench to close out the game. Kiah Gillespie also had 10 points for Maryland.

It was just the second meeting between the schools. St. Peter's beat Maryland 66-61 in the first matchup on Dec. 30, 1997.

INCREASED PRESSURE

Maryland forced 28 turnovers with his its high-pressure defense. That led to 46 points.

BIG PICTURE

St. Peter's: The Peacocks snapped a 21-game losing streak dating back to last year with a win over Marist on Sunday. Still, St. Peter's is 1-1 in the MAAC and is getting battle-tested with its tough schedule.

Maryland: The Terrapins have won six of their 10 games by at least 40 points. Maryland is deep and talented, showing signs of a Final Four-caliber team. The biggest test arrives Dec. 29 with a home game against No. 1 Connecticut.

UP NEXT

St. Peter's: The Peacocks are at St. Francis Brooklyn on Sunday.

Maryland: The Terrapins make a 38-mile trip to Baltimore to face Loyola on Monday.