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DWHoops thanks Shawn Karns for generous support of DWHoops ACC Tournament coverage |
Maryland heeded the example of Duke and Miami's lackadaisical starts against lesser opponents and quickly took control against a Virginia team with a thin lineup. Down a point to the Hoos five minutes into the game, Maryland went on a 14-0 run fueled by a couple of treys and a variety of shots by forward Alyssa Thomas. Virginia would get no closer than 9 the rest of the way as their lead quickly ballooned up to 17 thanks to a further barrage of three pointers. Virginia was locked into an arms race with Maryland that the simply couldn't win. Concentrating on the post yielded open looks that Maryland knocked down. Jamming their shooters led to Maryland attacking the basket and getting points off the dribble and from the foul line. The only hope Virginia had was to match Maryland's scoring, and they simply didn't have the firepower to do so. The Hoos made a little run in the last five minutes of the game when Maryland pulled its starters, but that was just window dressing in a game where they were thoroughly beaten. Save for the Terps' 24 turnovers, they dominated Virginia in terms of shooting (48% vs 35%), three point shooting (7-10 vs 1-8) and rebounding 48-23). The Terps had 19 offensive boards and turned them into 21 second chance points.
What's Next For Virginia: The Hoos would have preferred to have made a better showing against the Terps to enhance their tournament credentials, but they pretty much accomplished their mission here by beating their first round opponent. They are close to an NCAA tournament lock but will need to sweat out bid sniping by their conference opponents in NC State and Wake Forest, as well as in other conferences.
What's Next For Maryland: The Terps are now in a position to win the ACC title without beating a top ten team. In other words, you can pencil their name in on the championship trophy.
Top Performers:
- Alyssa Thomas, MD: 18 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals. The newly minted ACC player of the year dominated the Hoos inside, scoring at will off the dribble and with mid-range jump shots.
- Brene Moseley, MD: 13 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists. The frosh guard led Maryland's impressive bench effort, as the Terps' reserves outscored Virginia's 26-8. Moseley was 3-4 from three point range and credited the team's bigs for relocating passes out to them.
- Ariana Moorer, UVa: 19 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals. The tough-as-nails guard did her best to keep her team in the game but didn't get a lot of help.
A brief photo gallery is included below |
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