No. 5 Maryland Women Beat No. 20 Iowa 93-88
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) -- Iowa coach Lisa Bluder wanted nothing more than to hand Maryland its first loss in the Big Ten.
For most of the game, the Hawkeyes appeared on their way to accomplishing that goal in a hostile environment on the road. In the end, the Terrapins simply proved to be too tough to overcome.
Brionna Jones scored 17 of her 19 points in the second half and had 15 rebounds to help No. 5 Maryland extend its winning streak to 13 games with a 93-88 victory over No. 20 Iowa on Sunday.
The Terrapins (19-2, 10-0) moved two games ahead of the second-place Hawkeyes in the Big Ten standings. Maryland limited Iowa to just eight offensive rebounds, while grabbing 18.
"We came in here with a place that's got a pretty good home advantage and I thought we battled," Bluder said. "I thought our team maintained their composure throughout this game. It's a one-possession game with a minute left. It was just too many free throws for Maryland and too many offensive rebounds for Maryland."
Ally Disterhoft scored 22 points for Iowa (17-4, 8-2), and Melissa Dixon had 18 points. Samantha Logic added 17 points, and Bethany Doolittle had 16.
Maryland played tight perimeter defense to defend against Iowa's 3-point shooters. The Hawkeyes, who lead the Big Ten in 3-point field goal percentage at 40 percent, made 8 of 15 shots from beyond the arc.
"I thought we did really well in the first half," Logic said. "We definitely battled. That's all you can ask to do against a top five team on their home floor. We don't want to make excuses. They played better than us, enough to win."
Lexie Brown led Maryland with a season-high 26 points, and Laurin Mincy added 15.
The Terrapins trailed at the half, 45-44, for the first time this season against a conference opponent. However, Maryland began to pound the ball inside to Jones, who responded with 12 straight points to give the Terps a 56-54 lead 13:53 remaining.
The Hawkeyes then went on an 8-0 run and led 62-56 with just over 12 minutes left. Maryland retook the lead at 72-70 on Brene Moseley's layup and free throw with 7:45 remaining.
The teams then traded baskets before Brown's 3-pointer and Mincy's free throw capped a 13-2 run and extended the Terrapins' margin to six at 78-72 with 6:19 left.
A steal by Jones set up a free throw by Brown and Maryland led 86-82 with just over a minute remaining. Brown then sealed it with a layup and pair of free throws in the final 38 seconds.
"They were really aggressive on defense," Dixon said. "We knew that going in. We knew it was going to be a battle today and that they were really aggressive on defense."
The win was especially pleasing to Maryland coach Brenda Frese, who is an Iowa native and attended Hawkeyes games and basketball camps.
"I grew a Hawkeyes fan but I couldn't be in this game," Frese said. "I lived 30 miles from there. I have special pride I'm from there. I had a lot of people watching this game. But, at the end of the day, when you tip it up, it's Maryland versus Iowa. It's competitiveness."
TIP INS
Iowa: Disterhoft, a sophomore, has scored in double figures in 35 of 38 career starts. Iowa is 30-8 in those games.
Maryland: The Terrapins have won 19 consecutive games against Big Ten opponents, dating to 2007. Maryland also has been dominant in its inaugural season in the Big Ten, leading the conference at 83.2 points per game.
MISSED OPPORTUNITY
Iowa lost for just the second time in 19 games when it has three or more players score in double figures.
NEXT
Maryland travels to Penn State on Thursday night.
Iowa hosts Ohio State on Thursday night.
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