No. 4 Maryland women rout St. Peter's 101-49
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) - Brionna Jones scored 19 of her career-high 30 points in the first half and No. 4 Maryland remained unbeaten with a 101-49 victory over St. Peter's on Thursday night.
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.
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.
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 bench outscored the Peacocks 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.
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.
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 on Dec. 29 with a home game against No. 1 Connecticut.
UP NEXT
St. Peter's: The Peacocks stay on the road with a game at St. Francis Brooklyn on Sunday.
Maryland: The Terrapins make a 38-mile trip to Baltimore for a game at Loyola on Monday.