Hawkins, Thomas Lead No. 10 Maryland Over BC
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) -- Individually, Tianna Hawkins or Alyssa Thomas is a handful for any team to cover.
When both of them are on their game, the Maryland duo is next to impossible to match up with, as Boston College found out on Sunday when Hawkins scored 26 and Thomas added 24 to lead No. 10 Maryland to an 85-62 win over the Eagles.
Thomas added 12 rebounds for her 13th double-double of the season and the 32nd of her career to help Maryland (18-3, 9-1) stay unbeaten in 12 home games this season. The Terrapins have won eight straight.
Thomas became the 16th player in the program's history to score 1,400 points. The junior now has 1,405 points in her career. Hawkins has scored in double figures in 19 straight games and 20 of 21 games this season. The 50 points is the most the two players have combined for in a game this season.
"It is fun to watching the two of them clicking on all cylinders," Maryland head coach Brenda Frese said. "When A.T. is coming down the floor I don't know how people decide who they are going to guard. With Tianna running the floor with her, it just gives you so many options."
Hawkins made 11 of 14 shots and Thomas was 10 for 21 and added four assists.
"Having two players of their ability makes it very difficult for opponents to know how to play both of them," Frese added.
Alicia DeVaughn had 13 points and nine rebounds for Maryland and Katie Rutan and Malina Howard each added 10 points for the Terps, who shot 50 percent from the floor despite making just 3 of 14 3-pointers.
Kristen Doherty led Boston College (9-12, 3-7) with 18 points before fouling out with 5:43 to play. Kerri Shields added 14 for the Eagles.
The Eagles shot 39.1 percent for the game.
"I thought we did a good job against them in the first half, but their size and strength just wore us down in the second half," BC head coach Erik Johnson said.
Boston College had an 11- 0 run in the first half that put the Terps behind by eight as Shields tied the game, then the Eagles scored off three straight long-range jumpers by Nicole Boudreau. By Doherty , then again by Doherty, to put BC up 15-7 and force Maryland to take a timeout to regroup.
The Terps came back with four straight baskets by Thomas, Howard, Thomas again and the tying basket by Hawkins. Rutan made a 3-pointer put the Terps ahead for good, 18-15.
Ahead by just 30-24 two minutes into the second half, Maryland's size, speed and talent eventually was too much for the Eagles.
"I really liked how we played in the second half," Frese said. " I thought we were able to break it open. Our rebounding we were all over the glass."Our defense led our transition. The second half we were really able to put our stamp all over everything."
Hawkins had 19 of her points in the second half.
"I thought that we got off to a slow start and didn't have a good first half," said Hawkins, who said a timeout by Frese helped the team regroup. "We just had to go out there and do what we needed to stop them from shooting the 3-pointer."
(Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
