Shakira Austin had 25 points and 13 rebounds, and No. 9 Maryland shook off a midweek loss to rout Loyola of Maryland 105-45
Shakira Austin had 25 points and 13 rebounds, and No. 9 Maryland shook off a midweek loss to rout Loyola (Md.) 105-45 on Sunday.
Stephanie Jones and Taylor Mikesell both added 20 points for the Terrapins (8-2), who dropped a 66-59 decision at N.C. State on Thursday.
Stephanie Karcz led the Greyhounds (1-8) with 12 points.
Maryland was outrebounded 51-27 on Thursday, its worst showing on the glass since Notre Dame held a 29-board advantage in the 2014 Final Four. The problem didn’t resurface against Loyola as the Terps dominated 53-22 on the glass.
Maryland never trailed, with Mikesell making three 3-pointers in the first five minutes. The Terps led 20-10 after a quarter and broke away with a 20-0 run over more than six minutes in the second period.
Maryland improved to 26-3 against its in-state rival and has won 19 in a row against the Greyhounds, including a 17-0 mark under coach Brenda Frese.
BIG PICTURE
Loyola: The Greyhounds, who were picked to finish seventh in the Patriot League, are still building toward the start of conference play next month. Loyola went 0-3 against power conference teams this season, falling to Notre Dame and Northwestern last month.
Maryland: The Terps, the preseason Big Ten favorites, have one game remaining prior to the start of league play and play only once in the next 19 days. While exams and a holiday break will eat into some of that time, it also provides Maryland a chance to fine-tune things entering its conference schedule.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
Even with Sunday’s victory, Maryland is likely to fall out of the top 10 in Monday’s poll. It’s an especially good bet that No. 13 N.C. State (9-0) will leapfrog the Terps after beating Maryland on Thursday.
UP NEXT
Loyola: Loyola is off for exams until a Dec. 20 matinee against Monmouth. It is the Greyhounds’ lone game before New Year’s Eve.
Maryland: The Terps have a 10-day break for final exams. They’ll visit Georgia State on Dec. 18.
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