– by Adesina O. Koiki
A Lot of Sports Talk editor-in-chief
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COLLEGE PARK, MARYLAND — Playing against one of the top teams in America and the top-scoring team on college basketball, the University of Maryland saw its star player and leading scorer, Diamond Miller, sit for the majority of the first half due to fouls, playing just eight out of a possible 20 minutes. At the moment the Terrapins were in the most danger, they ended up showing why they may be one of the most dangerous teams in the country heading in to March, showing their depth and production in turning a much-anticipated matchup into a statement-making rout.
Brinae Alexander and Lavender Briggs, both reserves, came off the bench to combine for 43 points as the No. 7 Terrapins used a dominant second quarter to run away from No. 6 Iowa 96-68 inside the XFINITY Center on Tuesday evening. Alexander hit four of her six three-pointers in the second quarter, a frame in which the Terrapins outscored the Hawkeyes 27-8, turning a one-point deficit into an 18-point halftime lead that proved too much for Iowa to overcome in the second half.
“Really proud of those two,” Maryland head coach Brenda Frese said. “When you look at our bench points, and the 43 bench points came from those two, it absolutely was the X-factor. It’s the reason why we dominated this game.”
Along with her offensive production from the bench, Briggs spent much of her time on the floor defending Hawkeyes standout guard Caitlin Clark, with Briggs and the Terrapins holding the All-American to just 5-for-13 shooting from the field and 18 points — 10 points below Clark’s season average.
*Editor’s note: Above the byline is the photo gallery from Tuesday evening’s game, with all photos taken by DC-area photographer Yusuf Abdullah. After clicking on the first photo to enlarge the picture, make sure to press the left and right arrow buttons to scroll through the rest of the pictures. There are 30 pictures in total.
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