Maryland earns Week 1 women’s basketball team of the week honors

Maryland earns Week 1 women’s basketball team of the week honors

November 12, 2024

NCAA.com team of the week, Maryland capped a three-win first week with an 85-80 home win over longtime rival and No. 11 ranked Duke on Sunday. This was the Terrapins first matchup against the Blue Devils since they defeated Duke in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament on March 28, 2015, and it was a rematch of the 2006 national championship game, also won by Maryland. It was the 82nd matchup all-time against Duke, with both schools now tied at 41 wins apiece in the competitive head-to-head series.
 
The Terps improved to 3-0 with the victory and moved from No. 18 to 11 in Monday’s AP Top 25 Women’s Basketball Poll. The Blue Devils were handed their first loss of the season to fall to 2-1. The win was Maryland’s first ranked win of the season and the Terps’ 96th under head coach Brenda Frese. The 85 points were a season-high for Maryland, which improved to 94-7 when scoring 80 points or more over the last six seasons.

READ MORE: South Carolina, UConn top Week 1 women’s basketball Power 10
 
In the win over Duke, the Terps led from start to finish, opening the game with nine unanswered points while forcing the Blue Devils to miss their first five shots from the floor. They remained in control the rest of the way, leading by as many as 15 early in the fourth period.
 
Maryland had four scorers reach double figures as junior Kaylene Smikle led the way with 23 points, including connecting on all three of her 3-point field goal attempts. Shyanne Sellers backed Smikle with 17 points while dishing out seven assists to go along with five rebounds, while Bri McDaniel added 15 points, including 11 in the second half. Christina Dalce also impacted the game, scoring 12 points, grabbing 14 rebounds and blocking a shot.
 
The Terrapins earlier in the week had scored wins over UMBC (74-32) on Nov. 4 and Coppin State (70-47) on Nov. 7. Smikle led the way for the week, averaging 16.7 points per game, including leading all scorers with 20 points in the win over Coppin State.
 
Maryland will return to action on Nov. 13 at Syracuse.

15 athletes who have not All-American’d yet who are primed for a breakout year

Finishing top eight at the NCAA wrestling tournament is about more than the team points that an athlete earns — it’s about the lifetime of respect and pride that comes with that title. These are 15 athletes who have yet to achieve that honor but could be poised for the best season of their career this year. 

READ MORE

Top 12 freshmen for the 2024-25 men’s college basketball season, ranked by Andy Katz

Andy Katz ranked the top 12 freshmen hoopers ahead of the 2024-25 season that included big names like Duke’s Cooper Flagg and Rutgers’ Ace Bailey.

READ MORE

College careers for 2024 WNBA All-Stars: Team USA vs. Team WNBA

Here’s where this year’s WNBA All-Stars attended college — and how they compare with the national team.

READ MORE