COLLEGE PARK, Md. — In their home opener on Thursday night, the 18th-ranked Maryland Terrapins dominated Coppin State with a decisive 70-47 victory, fueled by a strong performance in the second quarter. Kaylene Smikle led the charge with an impressive 20 points, showcasing her skills as an All-Big Ten selection from her time at Rutgers. Smikle’s standout performance included four successful 3-pointers. The Terps, who have revamped their roster with ten new players, including seven transfers, were supported by Sarah Te-Biasu, the Atlantic 10 Player of the Year from VCU, who added 12 points to the scoreboard. Saylor Poffenbarger, another transfer from Arkansas, contributed significantly with 10 rebounds.
On the other side, the Eagles were led by Laila Lawrence, who scored 16 points in the contest.
The Terps turned the game around dramatically in the second quarter, outscoring Coppin State 25-4 and taking a commanding 40-16 lead by halftime. During this quarter, Maryland capitalized on their shooting, hitting 8 of 14 from the field, including three 3-pointers, and converting all six of their free throw attempts. In contrast, Coppin State struggled, making only 1 of 15 field goals after initially connecting on a 3-pointer, while also converting just 1 of 2 free throws during that period.
Smikle ignited her team’s momentum by hitting a 3-pointer with only 10 seconds left in the first quarter, bringing her total to 11 points and giving Maryland a narrow 15-12 lead. With the score at 17-15 early in the second quarter, the Terps went on an extraordinary 23-1 run that included two 3-pointers from Poffenbarger and another from Te-Biasu within the first spurt of 15-0.
The Maryland lead surged to 32 points midway through the third quarter. Smikle added another 3-pointer and five points during this stretch, while Te-Biasu capped a 10-0 run with her own 3-pointer.
Throughout the game, Maryland sank 10 3-pointers out of 25 attempts and finished with a shooting percentage of 41% (24 of 59 overall). Meanwhile, Coppin State, who shot just 22% in the first quarter, managed to end the game with a 32% shooting efficiency (18 of 55) and made only 5 of their 22 attempts from beyond the arc.