Story By: Erin Zollars
Photos By: Sol Tucker
College Park, MD–
After the past several Big Ten Conference games, the Maryland women’s basketball team has made it clear that they are the team to beat this season when it comes down to that conference final. They made it clear again tonight with a dominating 78-61 victory over Rutgers.
The turning point in the game tonight was the 19-4 run by the Terps in the second half. The Scarlet Knights had no answer for either Shyanne Sellers or Allie Kubek for most of the game.
While Sellers didn’t really cook in the first half took, taking just nine first-half shots for 11 points by halftime. It was the second half that she really got going finishing 11 more tallying 22 points, her highest total of the season.
Coming into the game the biggest talked about part of this game was the first match-up for former Rutgers guard Kaylene Smikle, who transferred to Maryland this past offseason after two years at Rutgers. Some questioned her move to Maryland prior to the season and she has clearly proved most of the naysayers wrong averaging 17.5 ppg after her 13-point performance tonight.
“I don’t think playing Rutgers changed the way I came into the game or the mindset that I had,” Smikle insisted. “Basketball is basketball.”
After the game Terps Head Coach Brenda Frese was asked about the difference Shyanne’s game tonight.
“I thought she set the tone from the tip,” said Frese. “That’s what you need to be able to have with your senior … it needs to trickle down both on the offensive end and the defensive end.”
Maryland travels to Iowa on Sunday to face the 18th ranked Caitlin”less” Iowa Hawkeyes.
