COLLEGE PARK, MD -- The No. 17 Terps (1-1) came up short against No. 1 South Carolina (2-0), 81-56, in their home opener in front of an energized home crowd of 9,244 people.

Maryland trailed the defending National Champions by just six points at halftime behind 16 first-half points from Abby Meyers. The Terps were stifling defensively to end the period, forcing South Carolina into misses on its last seven shots.

Meyers led the way for a Maryland offense that was without preseason All-Big Ten honoree Diamond Miller, notching a game-high 21 points and a team-high six rebounds. Shyanne Sellers and Faith Masonius each grabbed five boards while Elisa Pinzan dished out a team-high four assists.

The Terps were solid defensively, holding South Carolina to just 37.1 percent shooting in the first half. They also forced the top-ranked Gamecocks into 20 total turnovers, leading to 14 Maryland points.

South Carolina was led by reigning National Player of the Year Aliyah Boston and her 16-point, 13-rebound performance. Zia Cooke added 18 points.

The 9,244 attendance mark was the largest home crowd since the Terps' 83-47 takedown of Loyola University Maryland on Field Trip Day on Dec. 10, 2018.

Coach Brenda Frese's Take

"That was a great atmosphere. This is why our players come here, to play in games like this. Like I told them in the locker room, I really felt like we were going to learn a lot about ourselves in this game. Two games in with almost an entirely new roster, I saw a lot of really positive things, especially in the first half. We were walking into halftime six points down to the defending national champions...I thought our kids did a great job executing the game plan."

From The Newbies

"It's so special," Meyers said of her first home game as a Terp. "You have to take in this moment and just appreciate the opportunity to wear Maryland across your chest and to play at home in such an amazing atmosphere that you can't really get anywhere else."

"I really love it here," Brinae Alexander added. "I like playing in front of big crowds. Obviously, coming from the SEC, it's not new. I pride myself on wearing the (Maryland) name and not the name on the back."

Breaking Down The Action

• South Carolina led 19-12 at the conclusion of the opening quarter. Meyers scored nine of the Terps' 12 points on 4-of-shooting.
• Maryland outscored the Gamecocks 14-13 in the second stanza to cut South Carolina's lead to 32-26 at halftime. The Terps held the Gamecocks without a point for the final 3:11 of play and forced them into misses on all but one of their last 11 shots.
• South Carolina began to pull away in the middle of the third quarter and built a 19-point lead heading into the final 10 minutes of action.

Double-Figure Factors

• Meyers scored in double-figures for the second time in as many games as a Terp with 21. She's now reached double-digit scoring in 54 career games and has crossed the twenty-point threshold in 13 (with the previous 12 coming at Princeton).

1,000-Point Update

• Meyers is closing in on 1,000 points as she now has 987, with the first 947 coming at Princeton.
• Also nearing the 1,000-point plateau is Lavender Briggs with 974. She netted 961 at Florida.
• Elisa Pinzan is also chasing 1,000 points as she has 924 with 916 coming at South Florida.

Up Next

• The Terps will host Fordham on Sunday at 1 pm. That game will air on B1G+.

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Honestly, I think it is pretty simple what Maryland needs to do if they are going to win this game later today. Lia needs to bounce back, the defense has to do a much better job of stopping the run and Hemby needs to go for over 100 yards and a score. The question is, are they capable of doing all three of those things? So far this season, they have struggled to pull out the win against similar teams like Michigan, Purdue and Wisconsin. Hopefully this is the game where they put it all together. More at the link.

STORY

Just decommitted from UNC
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Just in case anyone is interested in watching a Terp game as opposed to whatever. Little chance on winning of course but great opportunity to view our new Terps - should be different as we lost strong post player/s. Should be a full house (or close to it).

We've finally got some actually shakeup on the depth chart to talk about here. Coltin Deery is now listed as the starting center with Johari Branch sliding over to left guard with Mason Lunsford backing him up. Also of note, true freshman RB Ramon Brown is now listed as the top kick returner.

Watch head coach Kevin Willard, sophomore forward JuJu Reese and senior point guard Jahmir Young all react following the Terps' 71-51 win over Western Carolina to move to 2-0.

STORY

Coach Nemzer announces her initial class. 1st in the BIG10.

I want to see him get some time on the floor where he has a chance to put up some 3s. Isn't that what European players are all about?

Plus, great PR. Run him in the Coppins St game and run some plays to get him open beyond the arc.

Pretty good list, but no Nate Oats? Then again, these articles are just good clickbait

We’re about 15 minutes from tip-off between the Terps and Western Carolina. Maryland a heavy favorite. Looking to see continued improvement.

Julian Reese finally looked like the star we expected, the Terps continued to play suffocating defense and Jahari Long has been perhaps the most unexpected bright spot so far. More at the link including highlights and full box score.

STORY

2-0 after tonight, presumably.

With the first-game jitters out of the way, both for players and head coach Kevin Willard, the Terps will look to play a little more loose tonight when they host Western Carolina. Story with video of Willard's pregame availability at the link.

STORY

Another National TV game, either a Noon or a 3:30 pm kickoff on ABC.

Having decommitted from Nebraska after the firing of Scott Frost, IMG four-star DE Cameron Lenhardt is wide open and currently hearing mostly from four schools, Maryland, PSU, Rutgers and Duke. With IMG set to face St. Frances locally, he is looking to possibly take an official visit to Maryland next weekend. More at the link below.

STORY

Locks addressed the media one final time ahead of Saturday's game at PSU this afternoon. He discusses injuries, the depth chart, getting guys enough touches and more.

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It is Throwback Thursday once again, and today we compare the Terps starters to their PSU counterparts. One note on the Terps, Locksley has said that Rakim Jarrett is a game-time decision this week. But I have to say, after doing this exercise, on paper, PSU is absolutely loaded. They start 13 former Rivals250 prospects and another three four-stars. And that is not including former top-50 prospects Nic Singleton (technically the backup RB now) and Landon Tengwall (local OL out for the rest of the season). Honestly, when I look at this PSU lineup on paper, it really seems like this program under performs based on the amount of talent they have. Not quite on par with Ohio State, but pretty darn close.

STORY

Text me if interested 410-259-7237

Thought she was hurt and pulled from last game. Numero One coming to play us (SC) on Friday. This team has no height without her.

COLLEGE PARK, MD – The DMV focus continues for the Maryland men’s basketball team as head coach Kevin Willard officially announced the signing of three four-star recruits on Wednesday. The trio of DeShawn Harris-Smith, Jamie Kaiser, Jr., and Jahnathan Lamothe ranks as the 13-best class in the nation.

Harris-Smith, Kaiser, and Lamothe make up one of the best DMV trios to sign with Maryland since 2002 when Travis Garrison, John Gilchrist, and Chris McCray joined the Terps. It’s the most DMV players to sign with Maryland in 15 years.

As a group, they represent the highest ranked class for Maryland since 2018 when the Terps ranked 7th overall.

“We extremely excited to welcome DeShawn, Jamie, and Jahnathan to the Maryland Basketball family,” said Willard. “They know the culture of Maryland basketball and each will make an immediate impact on the program. They all play with a chip on their shoulder and a drive to make their programs and teammates better every day.”


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Four-star recruit who ranks as the No. 1 recruit overall in Virginia and No. 89 nationally by Rivals … Also ranked No. 1 in Virginia by ESPN and is 53rd on among its top-100 recruits … Chose Maryland over Villanova, Indiana, Penn State, and Xavier … As a junior, was the VISAAA Division I State Player of the Year after averaging 14.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 2.2 steals … Led Paul VI to the VISAA Division I State Championship title his junior season as well … Played for Team Takeover as well where he was earned All-Tournament First Team honors at the Peach Jam … Left-handed point guard.

Willard on Harris-Smith – “DeShawn is a 6-foot-5 point guard who makes everyone on the court better. He can impact the game offensively and defensively like no one I’ve coached before.”


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Four-star recruit who ranks as the No. 4 recruit overall in Virginia and No. 4 nationally by Rivals … Ranked as the No. 2 recruit from Virginia by ESPN and 65th among their top-100 recruits … Chose Maryland over Indiana and Virginia … Last season at Bishop Ireton in Alexandria, averaged 20.7 points before playing his final season at IMG Academy … One of the top shooters in the country … First Terps since Anthony Cowan, Jr., to commit to Maryland from the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference … Plays for New World AAU program … Life-long Maryland fan who has attended games since childhood.

Willard on Kaiser – “Jamie is not only an unbelievable shooter, but as talented of a player that I’ve ever recruited. He has unbelievable toughness, a great feel for the game, and is by far one of the best shooters that I will have coached.”


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Four-star recruit who ranks as the No. 3 recruit overall in Maryland and No. 85 nationally by Rivals… The combo guard chose Maryland over Georgetown, UCF, and Penn State … Plays on Team Durant on the AAU circuit … Led St. Frances to a 35-8 record last year and a No. 2 ranking in The Baltimore Sun high school poll … Will join current Terp Julian Reese who also played at St. Frances … Pronounced “la-mowth”.

Willard on Lamothe – “Jahnathan is one of those players who makes an unbelievable impact on everyone no matter what position he plays on the court. He has the ability to shoot, drive, and become an elite defender.”



Since being named head coach, Willard and his staff have made a renewed focus on strong local recruiting in the talent-rich DMV area. In his first class heading into the 2022-23 season, Willard added former DeMatha standout Jahmir Young and Don Carey who played at Frederick Douglass as transfers, while signing Noah Batchelor who played at Glenelg.

The recruitment of five-star Nyckoles Harbor is part of today's Fact or Fiction with Adam Friedman and we both weighed in on how serious of contenders the Terps are. As I've been saying probably all the way back since July or so, yes, the Terps are serious contenders for Harbor. They will get one of his final official visits and from everything I can gather, the track stuff just isn't the big deal some are making it out to be. YES, track is very important to him. In fact, part of the reason he is likely to wait until the 2nd signing period is because he wants to compete at nationals. That said, multiple sources I've talked to also do not believe a school's track program is going to play much of a factor in where he winds up, as a couple of different people told me, 'you can run and be the best anywhere.'

But NIL is likely to play a factor here and don't think the Terps aren't able to compete. Look at Rakim Jarrett and the recent Under Armour slip speed shoe campaign. Jarrett has been all over the ads and he gifted a pair of the shoes to the entire team. I'm not saying he will for certain end up here, but the Terps are absolutely still a major player and don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

I'll also add, there's been some talk about where the last visit could be, whether it is Miami or USC, from what I'm hearing, it sounds like his folks aren't too keen on him being that far away from home. Plus Miami has some serious NIL coffers. More at the link below.

STORY

Jahnathan Lamothe the first of three four-stars in the 2023 class to officially sign.

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On BTN, no score 9 min in. Winner takes on Rut for finals