COLLEGE PARK, MD -- No. 14 Maryland opened the 2023-24 season in dominating fashion, toppling Harvard 98-75. The Terps have now won 15 season openers in a row.
Shyanne Sellers starred for the Terps, finishing with 25 points, just one shy of her career high, and five assists. She was also 8-of-8 at the charity stripe. Brinae Alexander added 15 points on five three-pointers. Making her Maryland debut, Jakia Brown-Turner added 11 points on 5-of-11 shooting.
In a total team effort, 10 different Terps scored with eight players tallying at least six points. Lavender Briggs grabbed a team-high eight boards.
The Terps led by as many as 22 in the first half and ended the game shooting a blistering 55 percent from the floor and 47 percent from deep. Maryland also finished with a 52-38 advantage in points in the paint.
Maryland will now hit the road for two consecutive top-10 matchups, first at No. 6 South Carolina on Sunday, Nov. 12 and then at No. 2 UConn on Thursday, Nov. 16.
Coach Brenda Frese's Take
"I thought we set the tone from the tip. We came out and in the first quarter and really showed our dominance. A lot of great things you saw as we're working through rotations, just the depth that we have…Really good first game. Obviously, we know it continues to get a lot harder now as we go on the road. But we really liked a lot of the things I saw."
From The Terps
"It was just great playing with this team," Shyanne Sellers said. "You see that we have great chemistry. Like I've said before, I'm not going to go outside myself to try to fill the shoes that Diamond and Abby left. I'm just gonna play my game, and elevate my game, but not change it up too much. I think that's what I tried to do and obviously it was successful."
"I'm very excited to be here," Jakia Brown-Turner said. "I'm happy my teammates and Coach B have put confidence in me to be a good player. I'm just happy to keep winning games with this team."
Breaking Down The Action
- Behind a pair of three-pointers from Brinae Alexander, the Terps jumped out to an early 13-6 lead.
- The Terps finished the first quarter on an 18-5 run. The Terps connected on four triples in the quarter and all nine players who entered the game scored in the frame.
- Sellers began to assert herself in the second quarter, scoring nine in the frame, as the Terps built a lead as large as 22 points. Maryland held a 52-34 halftime advantage.
- Maryland scored 12 points in the paint in the third quarter en route to building a 73-52 lead heading into the final frame.
For Openers
- The Terps are now 46-7 all-time in season openers, having won the last 15 in a row.
- The win streak of 15 season-opening wins in a row is the longest in program history. Maryland won its first 12 season openers from when the program started in 1971-72 through 1982-83.
- Maryland is now 48-5 all-time in home openers, having won 24 of the last 25.
New Faces Making An Impact
- Jakia Brown-Turner, a graduate transfer from NC State, started her first game as a Terp and finished with 11 points and five rebounds.
- Towson transfer Allie Kubek, who was with the Terps last season but did not play at all last season due to injury, was the first player off the bench for Maryland. She tallied eight points and three boards.
- Freshman Riley Nelson made a couple of highlight-reel worthy plays in her Maryland debut.
- Freshman Emily Fisher played 11 minutes and scored two points.
Double-Figures Factors
- Shyanne Sellers' 25 points marked the 42nd second time she reached double-digit scoring in her career.
- Brinae Alexander scored 15 for her 56th time in double figures.
- Jakia Brown-Turner notched her 68th career game scoring at least 10 points, tallying 11 tonight.
- Emma Chardon scored a career-high 10 points, her first-career game in double-figures.
Series History
- Maryland is now 3-0 versus Harvard all-time.
By The Numbers
- 15: The Terps have now won 15 consecutive season openers.
- 51: The Terps have won 51 consecutive games when leading with five minutes left in regulation.
- 84: Over the last four seasons, the Terps are 84-5 when they score 80 points or more.
- 302: The Terps are 302-44 (.873) all-time at home in the XFINITY Center.
Up Next
- The Terps will travel to Columbia, SC to face the No. 6 South Carolina Gamecocks on Sunday, Nov. 12. Tip-off is slated for 1 pm on ABC.
