College Park collapse: Takeaways from Rutgers women's basketball road loss to Maryland
The Rutgers women's basketball team was defeated by Maryland 81-62 on Wednesday night at the XFINITY Center in College Park, Maryland. An abysmal second quarter hurt the Scarlet Knights (8-21, 2-14) in their quest to overcome the Terrapins (16-10, 8-7).
Here are three takeaways from the road loss.
Second quarter woes
After trailing Maryland 21-16 at the end of the first quarter, Rutgers faced trouble in the second.
Shyanne Sellers started the scoring in the second quarter with a three-point make. That shot would kickstart what would become a 14-0 run that the Knights had no answer to.
By the end of the first half, the Terrapins would lead Rutgers 43-20 as Maryland outscored the Knights 22-4 in second-quarter points.
Sellers and Bri McDaniel both scored 7 points in the quarter as the Terrapins capitalized with 11 points off of Rutgers' turnovers.
Head coach Brenda Frese spoke on how Maryland started to band together after Lavender Briggs exited the game with an injury.
"That was kind of a jolt," Frese said. "So, they're tremendous teammates, and they wanted to play hard and fight for her. We just got a little bit more dialed in out of that."
Rutgers in foul trouble
When they returned for the second half, the Knights seemed to turn a corner against the Terrapins after becoming more physical and out-scoring Maryland 27-17 in third-quarter points.
Their comeback attempt was ultimately hurt, though, by foul trouble.
In the fourth quarter, both junior guard and forward Destiny Adams and graduate student center Kassondra Brown fouled out, weakening the Rutgers bench and, ultimately, the Knights' chances of a victory against the Terrapins.
"I thought we got a tough break on a few of those calls, especially a few of those fifth foul calls," said head coach Coquese Washington. "But, you have to play the hand that you're dealt, and I thought that we continued to battle."
Terrapins on a tear
Overall, Maryland had a productive night of offense as five Terrapins scored in the double-digits. Sellers led the way with 21 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double, while also dishing out eight assists.
Maryland's 45.5 percent success rate from the field and 33.3 success rate from three were key to its victory against Rutgers. The Knights, on the other hand, did not shoot as effectively. Rutgers hit 35.9 percent of its shots from the field and 11.8 percent of its shots from distance.
Washington commended the Terrapins' team effort in their win.
"They've got a number of players that can kill you," Washington said, mentioning Sellers and Jakia Brown-Turner. "Any of their other players, if you're not mindful, can get going and can get hot."
The Knights will return to the hardwood on Saturday with a road matchup against Michigan State at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Michigan. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. with the game being broadcast on Big Ten Plus and 88.7 WRSU-FM.
For more updates on the Rutgers women's basketball team, follow @TargumSports on X.
To view more of Josh Meyers' work, follow @JoshCMeyers on X.
