Second-half superiority lifts No. 3 Maryland over Iowa

IOWA CITY — Brenda Frese piloted the Maryland Terrapins to a national championship 11 years ago. It's clear that this year's team is capable of making another deep run.

'What I love is how these kids respond,' Frese said. 'Great things are in store if we continue to work hard, and push to be the most consistent team out there.'

Third-ranked Maryland constructed runs of 15-0, 13-0 and 12-0, and ran away from the Iowa Hawkeyes in the second half, 98-82, in a Big Ten women's basketball game in front of 7,043 Saturday afternoon at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Iowa held a 47-43 halftime lead, and built it to a six-point margin early in the second half, but couldn't keep up with the Terrapins' pace, press and size.

'They sped us up,' Iowa point guard Tania Davis said. 'That's what presses are meant to do. We made uncharacteristic turnovers, and once we got to our halfcourt set, we rushed shots.'

Maryland (17-1 overall, 5-0 Big Ten) jetted to a 15-2 lead, then Iowa recovered as fouls mounted against the Terrapins. But they were unable to weather the second storm. Or the third.

'Like Tania said, they sped us up,' Ally Disterhoft said. 'There's no excuse for that. We've been working on that. And we didn't take advantage of some of the opportunities we had, especially in the middle.'

The Hawkeyes (11-7, 2-3) had a stretch of brilliance in the second quarter, tallying 31 points and turning a 27-16 deficit into a 47-43 halftime advantage.

Consecutive 3-pointers by Davis, Disterhoft, Makenzie Meyer and Davis put the Hawkeyes in front, 33-32. Christina Buttenham hit another to make it 38-34. And when Megan Gustafson grabbed a missed free throw by Davis and converted, the advantage was 45-40.

Gustafson's bucket gave Iowa a 53-48 lead early in the second half. Then came Maryland's second wave.

Ieshia Small's layup — which came in the middle of a 13-0 rush — gave Maryland the lead for good, 54-53. By the end of the third quarter, it was 71-59, and the margin grew as large as 20 points in the fourth quarter.

'We had to match their intensity, and it showed in the second half,' said Shatori Walker-Kimbrough, who scored 20 of her 22 points after halftime. 'We had to match their work ethic.'

Bluder said, 'We had too many turnovers and gave up too many offensive rebounds. We didn't do a good job on the boards, and their press changed the game.'

The Terrapins outrebounded Iowa, 44-30, grabbing 20 offensive boards.

Maryland, which entered the game averaging 90.4 points per game, had an opportunity to reach the century mark on its final possession but opted to dribble out the clock.

Brionna Jones registered 25 points and 10 rebounds. Walker-Kimbrough added her 22, Destiny Slocum recorded 14, Brianna Fraser 11, Small 10.

'(Jones) is one of the best centers in America,' Bluder said. 'She has tremendous footwork. She's a textbook post player.'

Davis led the Hawkeyes with 25 points, 16 in the first half. Disterhoft added 18, climbing to No. 4 in career scoring at Iowa with 1,837 points.

Gustafson had 14 points and seven boards, and Buttenham scored 10 points.

The Hawkeyes are at Rutgers at 6 p.m. Tuesday (Iowa time). Maryland hosts Michigan on Thursday.

MARYLAND 98, IOWA 82

At Iowa City

MARYLAND (98): Brionna Jones 9-14 7-8 25, Ieshia Small 4-9 2-2 10, Kaila Charles 4-10 0-0 8, Destiny Slocum 5-11 2-4 14, Kristen Confroy 2-4 0-0 6, Kiah Gillespie 0-2 0-0 0, Stephanie Jones 1-4 0-0 2, Shatori Walker-Kimbrough 8-12 3-5 22, Brianna Fraser 4-6 3-6 11. Totals 37-72 17-25 98.

IOWA (82): Megan Gustafson 7-11 0-1 14, Ally Disterhoft 5-13 7-8 18, Makenzie Meyer 1-2 0-0 3, Tania Davis 7-13 7-8 25, Kathleen Doyle 2-7 1-1 5, Alexa Kastanek 0-2 0-0 0, Chase Coley 3-4 1-1 7, Hannah Stewart 0-3 0-0 0, Christina Buttenham 4-5 0-0 10, Bre Cera 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 29-61 16-19 82.

Halftime: Iowa 47, Maryland 43. 3-point goals: Maryland 7-16 (Small 0-1, Slocum 2-6, Confroy 2-4, Walker-Kimbrough 3-5), Iowa 8-20 (Disterhoft 1-4, Meyer 1-2, Davis 4-8, Doyle 0-1, Kastanek 0-2, Buttenham 2-3). Team fouls: Maryland 19, Iowa 18. Fouled out: Jones. Technical foul: Maryland bench. Rebounds: Maryland 44 (Jones 10), Iowa 30 (Gustafson 7). Assists: Maryland 20 (Slocum 6), Iowa 17 (Doyle 7). Steals: Maryland 7 (Jones, Walker-Kimbrough 2), Iowa 4 (Disterhoft 2). Turnovers: Maryland 12, Iowa 16.

Attendance: 7,043.

l Comments: (319) 368-8857; jeff.linder@thegazette.com