Rutgers women's basketball snaps two game win streak with loss to No. 9 Maryland
The Rutgers women’s basketball team fell to Maryland 80-56 on Sunday. The loss snapped the Scarlet Knights (8-11, 2-5) two-game win streak in Big Ten play.
Rutgers held a brief lead for the opening minutes of the first quarter before the No. 9 Terapins (14-4, 5-2) took control. Maryland took back the lead with 7:32 left in the first quarter and it held on to the lead until the end. Despite being down, the Knights were able to keep the game close and trailed by 7 points heading into the second quarter.
With 7:13 remaining in the second quarter, the Terapins expanded their lead to double digits. They would lead by double-digit points for the rest of the quarter.
Though Rutgers was able to score against Maryland, it struggled to stop the Terapins' offense. Maryland scored over 20 points in both the first and second quarters.
The Knights played a more competitive third quarter. They were only outscored by 4 points and only allowed the Terapins to score 17 points in the quarter. Despite a much improved third quarter Rutgers still trailed by 20 points heading into the fourth quarter.
The Knights started the fourth quarter strong and were able to cut the deficit to 14 points. Maryland would stave off the upset attempt by going on a 9-2 run in the middle of the quarter. When the final whistle blew, the Terapins had a 24-point lead.
Maryland had a strong day offensively shooting 40.5 percent from the field and 40 percent from the three-point line. The Terapins bench scored 30 points. Brinae Alexander led Maryland with 20 points.
Rutgers struggled to find its shot all game only shooting 32.1 percent from the field. The Knights were more positive from the three-point line shooting 38.5 percent from beyond the arc. Rutgers continued to be a good free throw shooting team making 17-20 shots from the charity stripe.
Freshman guard Kaylene Smikle was the offensive leader for Rutgers once again. Smikle led the team with 21 points and four steals. She also set a new season high by making 10 free throw shots in the contest.
Junior forward Chyna Cornwell notched her sixth double-double of the season. Cornwell scored 15 points and got 13 rebounds. She shot an efficient 6-11 from the field and 3-4 from the free-throw line. Cornwell and Smikle were the only two Knights who scored in double figures in the game.
Rutgers will look to get a home victory against Michigan on Thursday. The game will tip-off at 8:30 p.m. and will be broadcasted on the Big Ten Network and 88.7 WRSU-FM.
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