Opening Night Success

The Terps opened the season off right with a 76-52 victory over the visiting Princeton Tigers in the 1st Round of the WNIT. With the win, Maryland advances to the 2nd round Tuesday night at Comcast Center against the winner of the battle of Delaware (UDel & Delaware State). It was a very well-rounded effort by the Terps, with Kristi Toliver leading the way with 16 points and 10 assists. Toliver struggled in the first half with her ball control, but she was able to come out strong in the second half and correct her mistakes. She had 4 turnovers in the first half, none in the second half. Toliver ended the first half with another buzzer-beating 3-pointer, by the way. She's 2 for 2 in that category this year.

Crystal Langhorne warmed up before the game, but did not see any action, as she is still nursing a sore ankle. Brenda Frese says she is still day-to-day and will be a game-time decision Sunday against Oklahoma. My gut feeling though is that Langhorne will do whatever it takes to be on the floor Sunday night for the matchup with Courtney Paris and the #6 Sooners.

In Langhorne's absence though, Jade Perry really stepped up, as she got the start and contributed with 12 points and 11 rebounds in 30 minutes. When asked about the "challenge" of facing Paris on Sunday night, she merely shrugged it off and said that they were both "big girls." That much is true, and Sunday night could be interesting to watch if Langhorne is not able to play.

The freshman saw plenty of action tonight: 32 minutes for Marah Strickland, 27 minutes for Drey Mingo and 19 minutes for Kat Lyons. Kim Rodgers and Anjale Barrett did not dress. Strickland's outside shooting ability is continuing to impress, as she went 4 for 8 from the field and finished with 9 points. Overall, 4 Terps scored in double figures, while Strickland had 9 and Mingo 8.

The Terps finished with 15 turnovers, which is a pretty good number for a team that has struggled mightily in the past. Hopefully the trend of a rising assist to turnover ratio will continue (19:15 tonight). The defensive intensity has been stellar. I thought the team defense played against Team U.S.A. was great, and it continued in the opener against Princeton. The Tigers only shot 32% for the game, while the Terps shot a crisp 57%.

This game was close for the first half, with the Terps pulling away in the second half. They will have to be careful as the season goes along as to not "play down" to their opponents. You do that too often, and you will get burned. Maryland will not be playing down to anyone this coming Sunday in the battle of two Top-10 teams with Oklahoma.

Be sure to turn the volume down on your televisions Sunday night at 5:00, and listen to the call right here on WMUC Sports while you watch the big matchup. We will see what this 2007-2008 Terrapin team is made of in an early-season test.