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
Double-Figure Factors
1,000-Point Update
Up Next
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+.
