Maryland Sharp In 102-71 Rout Of Delaware In NCAA 1st Round
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (WJZ/AP) — Ashley Owusu scored 24 points and Diamond Miller added 23 to lift fourth-seeded Maryland to a 102-71 rout of 13th-seeded Delaware on Friday.
Jasmine Dickey led the Blue Hens with 31 points, but they couldn't keep up with a Maryland team that looked healthy and ready for this NCAA Tournament. The Terrapins (22-8) advanced to face 12th-seeded Florida Gulf Coast on Sunday.
Katie Benzan scored 17 points for Maryland. The Terps finished with five players in double figures — Angel Reese scored 15 points and Chloe Bibby had 11. Depth is still an issue for Maryland, which used only seven Maryland players in the first three quarters, but the Terps were up 80-56 after three, and tired legs didn't seem to be an issue at the end.
Delaware (24-8) also had a short bench while the game was still competitive, and less balanced scoring. Dickey, who has already announced her intention to enter the WNBA draft, scored plenty but needed 32 shot attempts to do it.
The Terps led 27-17 after one quarter. Then Benzan went to work, going 4 for 4 from 3-point range in the second.
Delaware still trailed by just 10, but Benzan opened the second half with another 3, and Maryland eventually went ahead 67-46 on a layup by Bibby.
There were more than bragging rights on the line in Friday night's matchup. Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and his counterpart in neighboring Delaware, Gov. John Carney, made things more interesting (and tasty!) by wagering crab cakes on the first-round matchup.
Gov. Carney will now need to send the Maryland governor what Hogan called Delaware's "inferior" crab cakes.
BIG PICTURE
Delaware: Dickey showed why she has pro potential, but the Blue Hens were overwhelmed in the second half after a credible performance in the first.
Maryland: It wasn't just Benzan shooting well. The Terps were 10 of 20 beyond the arc as a team and shot 59% from the field. Now Maryland's shallow rotation will be tested with only one day of rest before the second round.
UP NEXT
The Terps take on an FGCU team that knocked off fifth-seeded Virginia Tech 84-81.
