Earlier this season, the Virginia Cavaliers took the Maryland Terrapins to overtime. Yesterday at Comcast Center, they never took the lead.
The No. 6 Maryland women’s basketball team used a 21-1 first-half run to defeat Virginia 85-71 for its sixth straight victory before 9,099, sweeping the Cavaliers for the first time in 17 seasons.
“I thought we really played one of our highest levels of basketball,” Maryland coach Brenda Frese said. “We need to find a way to keep the flow we had in the first.”
Sophomore forward Laura Harper led the Terps (21-2, 8-1 ACC) with her aggressive play and had 17 points and 10 rebounds in just her fourth start this season.
“I knew we were flowing, but I didn’t know we had a lead like that,” she said. “Who wouldn’t want to play in an atmosphere like that?”
Senior forward Tiffany Sardin helped Virginia come back at the start of the second half with two jumpers split by a layup and steal by junior center Siedah Williams. The Cavaliers (13-8, 2-7) pushed the tired-looking Terps, who let their 21-point lead slip to six with four minutes left. But the Cavs couldn’t get any closer.
“We saw them getting into the paint more,” Frese said. “Our defense was really breaking down.”
Virginia coach Debbie Ryan credited Maryland: “They [bent], but they didn’t break.”
The Terps pushed the lead back to double digits, thanks to junior guard Shay Doron, who scored seven points at the free throw line in the final minutes on her way to a game-high 23 points. She also had four rebounds and three assists.
The victory gives Maryland its first winning record in conference play in nine seasons. The Terps play two tough road games next — at No. 1 North Carolina (Thursday) and No. 2 Duke (Feb. 13) — before returning home to face No. 23 Boston College on Feb. 16.
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