The Fantastic Four Freshmen

In just one night, redshirt freshman Emery Wallace increased her point total by 900%. She scored 18 points against Loyola, including hitting three shots behind the arc. I wonder what the Vegas odds would have been on Wallace being the leading scorer against Loyola...

Maryland's rematch against Loyola was a lot like last year's game in Baltimore, a complete blowout. Maryland never lost the lead after Laura Harper's opening lay-up in the first five seconds, winning 98-50. Maryland's lead at one point was 52.

Six players reached double-digit points and six players had at least three rebounds. "Agent Two-Zero" continued to play well with 15 points and seven assists. Maryland was doing everything right; they tied a school record with 12 three-pointers (UNC Greensboro '06 and Notre Dame earlier this year) and dominated in the paint.

But Maryland gained something much more valuable from this game. Freshmen Marah Strickland, Kat Lyons, and Drey Mingo all saw at least 26 minutes of play, with Wallace seeing 16. For the latter part of the second half, the four freshmen played together with Ashleigh Newman, and gained valuable experience. It is one thing to practice together; it is another to be out on the court against a real opponent and playing a real game and these players will likely be a big part of Maryland's team this year.

Strickland, who has been starting in place of the injured Sa'de Wiley-Gatewood, has a deadly 3-point shot and good speed on the court. She finished with 12 points and four rebounds.

Mingo, Marissa Coleman's favorite freshman, plays a lot like Coleman, a good player that can push into the paint but still threaten from behind the arc. She and Loyola center Vika Sholokhova were an interesting matchup during the last few minutes. She finished with 16 points and six rebounds.

Lyons, Maryland's future starting point guard after Toliver graduates, is showing good passing as well as a cool head on the court. She also has a good perimeter shot. She finished with six points, eight assists, and three rebounds.

Those four freshmen really got some valuable experience together. Enjoy this kind of time while you have it, as Maryland's non-conference schedule gets more difficult from here on out. The Terps travel to California next to take on UC Santa Barbara and UCLA. The Gauchos of UCSB are 2-2, including a 24-point loss to #13 Arizona State. The Bruins of UCLA are 3-0, but they haven't faced a ranked team this season. WMUC won't be covering the games in California, but we'll be back after the break when Maryland takes on Pittsburgh. Have a good Thanksgiving everyone!