Confroy leads No. 8 Maryland past Northwestern 80-62
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) - Maryland sophomore Kristen Confroy got into an early rhythm and her teammates rode her hot hand the rest of the way
Confroy set career highs with 24 points and 10 rebounds as the eighth-ranked Terrapins cruised past Northwestern 80-62 on Sunday.
Brene Moseley added 17 points off the bench for the Terrapins, who have won four straight. Brionna Jones had 14 points and 14 rebounds, while Shatori Walker-Kimbrough scored 15 points for Maryland (16-2, 5-1 Big Ten).
Confroy tied a school record with eight 3-pointers.
"Every game, I come in with the same mentality," Confroy said. "Today was just a good day. My teammates did an awesome job of finding me. I owe it all to them because you can't shoot 3s without assists. I am just very happy and excited for our future."
Nia Coffey led Northwestern (13-5, 2-4) with 19 points and nine rebounds. Christen Inman and Maggie Lyon had 13 points apiece for the Wildcats.
Coming off an 86-82 victory over No. 5 Ohio State on Thursday, Northwestern struggled to make shots against Maryland and went just 2 of 18 (11.1 percent) on 3-pointers.
"I am just disappointed because we didn't play very well today," Wildcats coach Joe McKeown said. "I don't have a great reason because we played Thursday and beat Ohio State. I thought that momentum would carry into tonight. Maryland played really well. They executed and we could not get going."
Ashley Deary made a half-court shot at the buzzer to give the Wildcats some momentum heading into the fourth quarter. Maryland, however, was too tough. Confroy made a 3-pointer and Moseley hit a jumper to put the Terps up 71-55, and they were never threatened the rest of the way.
"Whatever they give me, I am going to play off of," Moseley said.
Maryland out-rebounded the Wildcats 52-31.
The Terrapins got off to a quick start and never trailed. A jumper by Moseley gave Maryland a 26-10 lead late in the first quarter.
"We really set the tone from the tip," Maryland coach Brenda Frese said. "I thought we were ready to play. We jumped out early to make a statement, especially after their big win against Ohio State."
TIP-INS
Northwestern: After opening the season with 10 consecutive wins, the Wildcats have lost four of their last six. ... Northwestern ranks first in the Big Ten with 11.6 steals per game and had 10 against Maryland.
Maryland: Brionna Jones and Shatori Walker-Kimbrough are two of 20 players nationally on the John R. Wooden Award Midseason Top 20 List.
STEPPING UP
Coffey entered the game averaging a team-high 18.9 points and 10.7 rebounds and was the Wildcats' best player again against Maryland. Coffey bounced back from an ankle injury against Ohio State and played 39 minutes.
MISCUES
Maryland had 21 turnovers, which led to 19 points for Northwestern. It's a problem that has plagued the Terrapins for much of the season. Frese, however, is confident her team can correct those mistakes. "We allowed them back in the game because of our turnovers," Frese said. "You have to credit their defense. But there were some uncharacteristic turnovers by us. It's exciting that we can clean that up."
UP NEXT
Northwestern plays at Minnesota on Wednesday.
Maryland plays at Wisconsin on Wednesday.