Story By: Erin Zollars
Photos By: Sol Tucker
College Park MD-
Coming into the game against the Princeton Tigers, the Lady Terps knew they faced a very strong team that had not lost a game the entire season, but their strong defense and scoring tear after halftime made it too much for the Tigers to handle.
The Terrapins (32-2) will bring a 26-game winning streak into a matchup with Duke on Saturday in Spokane, Washington. Maryland and Duke have not faced each other this season with the move to the Big Ten.
“I really felt like in that stretch we just wore them out,” coach Brenda Frese said. “Just really the physicality, the speed, getting up and down was the difference.”
“They came out really fired up and they were making their shots,” Princeton forward Alex Wheatley said. “I mean, they shot 87.5 percent from 3 in the second half. If that’s what it takes to beat us, great.”
Princeton kept the game manageable before the half by trading buckets with the Terps, but their offense struggled with the Terps defense in the second half.
The notables of the night are that the Tigers are now 1-5 in the NCAA tournament. Princeton went 4 for 17 from beyond the arc after firing at a 40 percent clip during the regular season. After trailing at halftime only once during the regular season, Princeton trailed at the break in both games in this tournament.