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.

The Freshman Experience

I promised a run down of the incoming freshman, and here it is. The Terps will be fielding 5 true freshmen this coming season, and a few of them may end up making immediate impacts. Here they are in alphabetical order:

#10 Anjale Barrett - 5'9" Guard from Bronx, NY (St. Michael's Academy)
Anjale is still in the process of recovering from off-season surgery. She was hurt late in her senior season at St. Michael's Academy in New York, but her progression towards being game ready is going smoothly. Brenda Frese thinks Barrett can potentially be one of the better guards in the country (which is saying a lot when the Terps themselves may have two of the best guards in the country already). Coming out of high school, Barrett was ranked as the #3 point guard in the country and 11th overall by All-Star Girls Report. Year in and year out, Frese is bringing highly touted recruits, and Barrett is no different. Anjale's brother, Andre is a current member of the Chicago Bulls and was a 2004 graduate of Seton Hall.

#14 Kat Lyons - 5'10" Guard from Kernersville, NC (Bishop McGuiness)
Kat Lyons is a proven winner. She helped lead her high school team to consecutive state championships, and averaged 15.8 points per game, over 4 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals in her senior season. She has been chomping at the bit to become a member of this Terrapin squad, as she committed to Maryland in her sophomore season of high school. She showed her shooting touch during the exhibition game against Team U.S.A., and will no doubt be a valuable player off of the Maryland bench. If Lyons puts as much effort and enthusiasm into her game as she does into her reading of WMUC promotional material, then Frese and the Terps have a keeper.

#24 Drey Mingo - 6'2"Forward from Atlanta, GA (Marist)
Mingo is going to be inside or an outside threat. She showed this during the exhibition game, getting extended minutes when Laura Harper was in foul trouble. She exploded for a quick 7 points during the first half, using her outside shot as well as her back to the basket abilities. As a senior in high school, Mingo averaged 20 points, 11 rebounds and 3 blocks, and was invited to the U-19 U.S. Team tryouts over the summer. If you are still not sold on her, you may be interested to know that she chose Maryland over such schools as Duke, Stanford, Rutgers and LSU - all of whom are terrific women's basketball programs. Once again, another testament to the expansion of the program in College Park.

#22 Kim Rodgers - 5'9" Guard from Virginia Beach, VA (Princess Anne)
Rodgers was a 4-year starter in high school where she helped her teams win two state championships. She can put the basketball in the hoop from the guard position, which is something the Terps do not have a lack of. It may take a while for Rodgers to see serious minutes, but once again the Terps will have another solid option off of the bench. Rodgers was not able to play against Team U.S.A., so it is tough to completely grade her abilities, but throughout a season, opportunities for all of the freshman will arise.

#5 Marah Strickland - 6'0" Guard from Mt. Airy, MD (Towson Catholic)
Strickland looks to be the "cream of the freshman crop," as she may be pushed into immediate action with Wiley-Gatewood recovering from injury. Strickland was a Parade and McDonald's All-American coming out of high school, as well as being named the 2007 Gatorade Maryland Player of the Year. As a senior, Strickland averaged 22 points, 6 rebounds and 2.5 steals. Her outside shot is deadly, and she possesses great size for a guard that can cause many matchup difficulties for opposing teams. Her family is no stranger to Maryland and the college basketball scene, as her sister Marche is a former Terp, while her brother Marshall played collegiately at Indiana and most recently played pro ball in Turkey. She earns immediate respect from me for naming Boston as the place she most wants to visit, but I am confident that she will show everyone some great things on the floor of the Comcast Center.

So, that's it. Those are the 5 true freshmen. These players are the future of Maryland women's basketball, as the Terps will be graduating 5 seniors in May.

The season opens with the first round of the WNIT at Comcast Center Friday night at 7:00 against Princeton. Keep it locked to WMUC for all of your Terrapin basketball needs.